Jealousy
by Ukdallasfan
Summary: Sequel to the Lake House story. JR and Bobby are rivals in business but, unbeknown to JR and Sue-Ellen, Bobby has his eye on stealing his older brother's wife as well.
1. Chapter 2

From the first time he met her Bobby had feelings for Sue-Ellen. Unlike JR, Bobby was not attracted first and foremost to Sue-Ellen's beauty. He appreciated her looks but was more taken with her shy nature, gentle sense of humour and ladylike qualities. After Jenna Wade had run out on him Bobby longed to find love again and he smarted with jealousy whenever JR paraded Sue-Ellen around like his prize. In turn Sue-Ellen developed enormous affection for Bobby. She liked his cheeky sense of humour and the fun they had together when they went out riding, a pastime that JR was not keen to participate in. She also appreciated from a purely objective standpoint his good looks and muscular, athletic stature but he did not have the charisma of his older brother who only had to smile at her with that twinkle in his blue eyes to make her weak at the knees.

Bobby had not expected JR to make the commitment of marriage to Sue-Ellen for one moment. He was present at Southfork on the occasion of the grand proposal and felt utterly dejected when Sue-Ellen threw herself happily into JR's arms and accepted him. Acting as JR's best man subsequently felt like torture especially at the point when he and JR turned back to see Sue-Ellen walk up the wedding aisle. She was radiant, the most beautiful young bride he had ever seen and he knew that that night JR would finally get to make her his.

Just before lunch on Sunday Bobby decided to go to the stables to speak to Ray. He had been out riding that morning and his favourite horse did not seem her usual self when he attempted to make her gallop. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anyone around as he approached the stables. However, he could hear sounds coming from one of the barns and wondered whether he would find Ray or one of the other ranch hands in there. As he entered the barn he initially could not discern the activity that was taking place at its very rear. He moved slightly closer and was shocked at what he saw. JR and Sue-Ellen lay on the bales of hay faced away from him in a state of semi-undress. It was immediately obvious what they were up to. Bobby moved quickly out of the barn, anxious that one of them might turn in his direction and see him, and walked away back towards the house. He was embarrassed. How could JR do that to Sue-Ellen? he wondered. He didn't consider for one moment the possibility that Sue-Ellen might have been a willing participant but contented himself with the conviction that it must have been JR who had coerced her into such a public act of shameless rutting.

As they sat down for lunch Bobby watched as JR gently and discreetly patted his young wife's knee. Sue-Ellen returned the gesture with a wide smile. Bobby was confused- how could Sue-Ellen appear happy after what his brother had just subjected her to? If she were his he would never treat her in that way. He would be kind and gentle to her when they made love, he would take her to all the best places and buy her only the finest of things. The brief image of the two of them in the barn was burned on Bobby's memory like a lurid dream that he could not get out of his mind.

After lunch JR and Sue-Ellen decided to spend some time around the swimming pool. "Will you join us Bobby?" Sue-Ellen enquired, oblivious to the ill-feeling that was now mutual between him and JR. Bobby was about to decline but then changed his mind. He had missed her company for the last two days and he would be spiting only himself if he went up to his room instead. "Yes Sue-Ellen thanks. I'll go and get changed."

The men took their places around the pool ahead of Sue-Ellen. After their lovemaking earlier she had wanted to take a shower before she changed into her bathing suit. When she emerged she was wearing an elegant white one-piece, a matching sarong tied loosely around her waist. She looked stunning. Bobby attempted to act casually as Sue-Ellen took her seat on one of the sun loungers. "So, how was your trip?" he asked. "Oh Bobby we had a lovely time. It's a beautiful house in such a wonderful setting. I had no idea" she responded. "Did you enjoy it JR?" he asked somehwat mischievously. "Yes of course I did Bobby, that is until our weekend was interrupted by the Kay brothers fiasco" JR grumpily replied.

"You know I think I owe you an apology over that JR. I shouldn't have assumed that you knew what needed to be done. I'm sorry, truly" Bobby entreated. However, his thoughts on that matter were somewhat different from his words. He had been reckless going off to meet some of his old college friends for a boozy lunch on Friday and not stopping by JR's office to brief him on the Kay deal. However, in retrospect Bobby wondered whether, at least subconsciously, he had set his older brother up for the fall. He had been extremely envious that morning when he heard Sue-Ellen and JR discussing their trip to the lake house over the breakfast table. It wasn't fair that he would have her all to himself for the weekend, he had thought. For a moment his mind had also wandered to what they would get up to whilst away... The fact was that when they arrived at the office that morning to the news that the Kay brothers had accepted Bobby's offer for their property he was quick to broadcast the same in the presence of his doting father and older brother. He knew immediately that he had needled JR and it had felt good.

Bobby felt a little ashamed of himself. He shouldn't have behaved in that way to JR and it had resulted in all that trouble. His mama had been upset and anxious and, by the look on Sue-Ellen's face when she arrived home, he had also caused her distress and that was something that he would never wish to do. "It's over Bob. Let's just forget it and enjoy the afternoon." JR was conscious of causing his young wife any further upset and was grateful to see that his words made her break into a gorgeous smile. "Come on fellas, let's have a swimming race. I need to cool down" she exclaimed as she stood up to remove her sarong. Her actions gained both men's attention, although Bobby did his best to be discreet as he watched Sue-Ellen remove her cover-up and slip off her sandals. So sexy he thought as she moved sensuously to the diving board. JR's thoughts were very much along the same lines but they quickly turned to their bedroom activities as he watched her elegantly take her place and dive in.

Bobby followed, diving gracefully into the pool. "Go on you two" JR exclaimed "I hope Sue-Ellen gives you a run for your money, Bob" he joked. Sue-Ellen playfully splashed Bobby before starting the race ahead of him. "Cheat!" Bobby laughed as he caught up with her, quickly overtaking her. JR continued to enjoy the view- his wife's bathing suit clung to her body as she stood up at the shallow end of the pool. He smiled at her lasciviously in response to which she smiled back, her beautiful bright eyes warning him not to be cheeky at the same time.

Bobby and Sue-Ellen emerged from the pool. They dried off naturally in the sun as they chatted and joked. JR felt more relaxed as the afternoon progressed. Revenge would be a dish best served cold and he determined to wait for exactly the right opportunity to put his younger brother in his place at Ewing Oil. In the meantime he would play "Mr. Nice Guy."

"Gosh is that the time?" Sue-Ellen quickly stood up. "I must be getting ready for dinner" she said as she tied her sarong around her and put on her sandals. "I'll be up in a little while sugar" JR replied. "Bobby shall we have a cold beer first?" As Sue-Ellen walked across the terrace towards the house Bobby followed her with his eyes. For a split second JR felt he could discern more than just affectionate interest on the part of his younger brother but he quickly dismissed it from his thoughts. They're like brother and sister, he thought, the way that they go off to ride and swim together. You need to get a grip he told himself. The only rivalry that exists between us concerns business.

Tbc.


	2. Chapter 3

Dinner at Southfork was a quiet affair. Lucy who had returned from a day at her friend, Muriel's, house chattered about what she had been up to and the family feigned interest in what the young girl had to say. When dinner was over Miss-Ellie followed her grandaughter upstairs to supervise the completion of her homework and preparations for the school the following morning. Jock retired to the den leaving JR, Sue-Ellen and Bobby together in the living room. A couple of nightcaps later JR indicated to his wife that it was time for bed.

Bobby watched enviously as JR followed Sue-Ellen up the stairs. He would retire shortly- all alone. He poured himself another drink. Unlike JR he did not have to get into the office early in the morning. 9am would be perfectly appropriate.

JR and Sue-Ellen readied themselves for bed. This was JR's favourite time of day. Watching his dark-haired beauty meticulously prepare for sleep he marvelled at how lucky he was to go to bed every night with her. Even if nothing in the way of love-making occured JR loved the feel of Sue-Ellen's silky skin and her unique scent as they cuddled up together in bed and drifted off to sleep. As usual JR was ready before his wife. He patted her side of the bed anxious for her to join him. "I will be just a minute darling" she replied. Conscious of the fact that he had a very early start in the morning JR confined himself to kisses and caresses once Sue-Ellen got into bed beside him. Sue-Ellen reached for the lamp and turned off the light. For five or ten minutes they continued petting and kissing before sleep took over.

As Bobby came upstairs he could hear faint sounds of giggling and sighing emanating from his brother's room. He was irritated and quickly entered his bedroom. A sleepless night beckoned. Bobby's thoughts were becoming dangerously consumed by his sister-in-law. This has to stop he cautioned himself as the image of JR and Sue-Ellen in the barn earlier that day suddenly and without warning intruded once more.

The following day proceeded without incident. The Kay deal went completely to plan and by close of business Jock was a happy man and looking forward to a much more convivial family dinner than the one that had taken place the evening before. JR was careful to finish for the day without a single detail unattended to. He did not want to incur his father's wrath again. He also, tactically, remained overtly friendly towards his younger brother. This confused and unsettled Bobby not least because he remained distracted by thoughts of Sue-Ellen and this made him feel guilty and somewhat ashamed.

Sue-Ellen had spent the majority of her day helping Miss Ellie plan the forthcoming Ewing barbeque. Originally Miss Ellie had involved Sue-Ellen in the planning of the family's social events to help her to integrate. However, over time, she had become grateful for her daughter-in-law's good taste and eye for detail and very much valued her assistance. Sue-Ellen loved doing this kind of thing. In a different life, she mused, I could have been a very talented and successful upmarket party planner. When they were done Sue-Ellen began getting ready for dinner. JR had telephoned her ahead to explain that he might be home slightly later than usual. "I'm just glad that it all went well today JR" she replied.

JR arrived home with only twenty minutes to spare before the family's pre-dinner drinks, an event that Jock always insisted on commencing at 6pm sharp. As he entered the bedroom he saw that his stunning young wife was ready. She had on a pale pink dress with a toning wide belt. It accentuated her figure perfectly. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders. She was irresistible. JR grabbed hold of her ignoring her entreaties not to disturb her hair and make-up and kissed her deeply. As his lust took over he backed her up against the bedroom wall and put his hand up her skirt. "JR! No, not now!" Sue-Ellen entreated but she knew that he was not for stopping. He was impressively erect and in definite need of release. JR pushed Sue-Ellen's panties down and freed his manhood from his pants. He lifted one of her long slim legs wrapping it around his waist and entered her. She squealed in response. "Sugar I want you. Trust me this won't take long" JR panted as he increased the intensity of his thrusts. Sue-Ellen held his shoulders and returned his kisses. She tightened around him and her involuntary physical response to his thrusts drove him wild. "Sue-Ellen, oh yes! You are so good" he groaned as he came inside her trembling at the sense of release that had taken over him.

As he gradually loosened his grip on her he kissed her tenderly. "Darlin you will never know how much I needed that" he whispered. "I love you JR and that was wonderful but look at the time!" she exclaimed wriggling from his grasp to restore herself to how she had been before her husband came home. JR was showered and dressed in minutes. It is so much easier for men, Sue-Ellen thought as she washed quickly and brushed her hair.

JR sniggered to himself as he and Sue-Ellen made their way downstairs. It was 6 o'clock sharp and nobody would suspect a thing. However, he hadn't banked on the fact that his and Sue-Ellen's faces remained somewhat flushed from their recent passionate exertions, a detail that did not escape Bobby's attention. He's an animal, Bobby fumed, insisting on a tawdry "quickie" with his wife just before dinner. Bobby watched his sister-in-law keenly during dinner. He listened intently and with interest as she and his mother described the preparations for the barbeque in preference to the conversation that JR and his father were engrossed in concerning business. Sue-Ellen patted Bobby's arm gently "you are so sweet Bobby but you don't have to pretend to be interested in what colour of tablecloth and floral arrangements we settled on" she giggled. Her touch was like a bolt of electricity. Bobby longed to touch her back but he couldn't. Sue-Ellen was innocently oblivious to the effect that she had on him. "I, I like hearing about what you and mama have been doing" he protested "I like to hear about your day Sue-Ellen."

For a second or two Miss Ellie was perturbed by what she had witnessed. Was Bobby sweet on Sue-Ellen? she pondered. Instantly she dismissed the notion as foolishness. Thereafter, any further reflection on the matter was interrupted by Lucy who was keen to tell her grandmother, aunt and uncle about her day at school. After dinner Jock and JR retired to the den. Now that the Kay fields were Ewing property there would be much hard work to do before drilling could begin. Bobby would, of course, be involved but he had only a rudimentary understanding of the next steps. He did not need to be involved in the post-dinner discussion between his father and older brother. Bobby felt deflated. What a difference 24 hours makes, he fumed. JR's ability to bounce back from adversity was uncanny.

Sue-Ellen looked lost as her husband left the dinner table without a bye or leave. Only a couple of hours earlier he had been all over her and, as usual, she had submitted to his lustful demands. Now it was as if she didn't exist. Putting on a brave face Sue-Ellen announced that she was going outside for a breath of fresh air. As she exited the house Bobby got up and followed her. "Sue-Ellen you look like you could use a bit of company?" he enquired. "Yes Bobby that would be nice" she replied innocently.

Conversation between the two of them had always flowed naturally but this evening the atmosphere was rather more awkward. Sue-Ellen was upset and Bobby knew it. They sat in silence before Bobby finally plucked up the courage to speak "JR didn't mean to ignore you after dinner this evening you know. He and daddy are just excited, that's all." "I know Bobby. It just hurt because..." Sue-Ellen broke off unable to tell him why JR's rejection that evening had been particularly upsetting."He doesn't deserve you" Bobby reached out and gently touched his sister-in-law's cheek. Sue-Ellen didn't resist but instead dissolved into quiet tears. Bobby gently wiped them away from her face. As he did so the two of them were unaware that they were being watched. Lucy giggled quietly to herself. Sue-Ellen and Bobby make a much more romantic couple the teenager mused to herself.

TBC


	3. Chapter 4

Bobby longed to kiss Sue-Ellen as he dried her eyes. However, before he could decide whether to act on such a powerful urge Sue-Ellen regained her composure with remarkable alacrity. "I'm just being silly Bobby, take no notice of me. JR has to attend to business" she announced as she stood up quickly. "Let's go inside and see if they are all done." She smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder "you are so good to me you know, the best brother-in-law a girl could have." Her words, albeit innocent, were stinging. Bobby watched her go inside. She met JR as she did so. "Come on darlin'. Daddy wants a quick night cap with us all" her husband announced placing his arm around her waist as he led her into the living room. "Come on Bob" he called back to him. Bobby got up as asked. His sense of dejection was enormous.

Lucy had not remained to see how the scene between her aunt and younger uncle had played itself out. She had been called by Miss Ellie to put her clean sports kit into her bag ready for school the following day. As she did so her thoughts wandered back to what she had just witnessed. Her imagination began to run away with itself. No wonder Bobby and Sue-Ellen go off riding together so often she pondered. She began to wonder what they got up to once they had ridden to the far reaches of the ranch, well away from prying eyes. She imagined them kissing and declaring their secret love for one another. She determined to keep her own counsel. She could make a lot of mischief for her aunt and two uncles with this as well as having fun in the process.

The following few weeks at Ewing Oil were hectic and busy. Jock and JR were occupied for long hours preparing for the drilling of their newly acquired fields. Family dinners were missed by the pair on a regular basis as they remained in the office or travelled on site visits. Miss Ellie, Bobby, Sue-Ellen and Lucy became accustomed to their absence from the table as they took their seats each night at 6.30pm. JR's long working hours only served to fuel Lucy's imagination further. Totally innocuous interactions between Sue-Ellen and Bobby were interpreted by the young girl as something much more significant. However, when it came to how Bobby would look at his beautiful sister-in-law Lucy's instincts were on the money. He's in love with her but she seems much more casual. Is she just stringing him along for a bit of fun? she mused to herself one evening when bored with her maths homework.

JR's and Sue-Ellen's private life also began to suffer. Lovemaking was rare and perfunctory and confined to late at night or very early in the morning when JR felt in need of release. His attention to his wife's pleasure waned and she began to feel neglected and, to an extent, used. After one such morning interlude, as JR got out of bed to shower, Sue-Ellen's attention turned briefly to the date. She sat bolt upright in bed. She was late by at least a week. God is this it? She wondered. Am I pregnant with the heir to the Ewing empire? Her mood instantly brightened as she imagined the delight of her husband and his family at receiving such great news. As JR exited the shower Sue-Ellen got out of bed and threw herself into his arms "good morning my love" she announced as she kissed him passionately. "Good morning darlin'. What's got into you?" JR replied. "Oh nothing JR, I just feel in a really happy mood." "Well that's just swell sugar but I have to get to work. I may see you this evening for dinner. I'm not sure." JR kissed his wife's cheek and turned his attention immediately away from her to getting dressed.

Unbeknown to Sue-Ellen the deficiencies in their sex life were exposing her marriage to danger. JR might be tired and overworked but he was also bored and when bored he tended to get up to no good. He had an on and off dalliance with his secretary, Julie, before he was married. Since then he had been faithful to his wife even though Julie had made it abundantly clear that she was prepared to resume their affair whenever he wanted. He watched the way that Julie sashayed in and out of his office bending over him to hand over documents and the like whilst exposing just the right amount of tantalising cleavage. He wanted her. She had always been such hot stuff in bed, up for anything he desired, including the one practice that he could never subject Sue-Ellen to. Nobody but the two of them would know if he took her to a hotel room one afternoon...

JR tried to dismiss the dark thoughts about Julie from his mind. No, he would make an effort to regain with Sue-Ellen what had been so wonderfully discovered during their short stay at the Lake House. He fantasised about his young wife in her skimpy underwear with the silk stockings and suspenders that had driven him wild with desire. "I'm going home daddy. I haven't been spending much time with Sue-Ellen lately. I'm going to take her out for dinner, just the two of us" he announced to Jock. "But JR there's a lot left to do and it's not 4 o'clock yet" his father protested " a Ewing wife has to learn that business must come first. You pander way too much to that girl." "I will work late tomorrow daddy I promise." JR responded in a conciliatory fashion. "Go then if you must" Jock grumbled "and tell your mama that I won't be home in time for dinner."

When JR arrived home he found Sue-Ellen and Bobby by the pool. Lucy was swimming up and down, cooling off after a humid day at school. They were all chatting and laughing naturally. "JR you are home early!" Sue-Ellen exclaimed as she got up to give him a kiss. JR's intrusion irritated his younger brother. Bobby enjoyed Sue-Ellen's company enormously especially when her husband was not around to divert her attention from him. "I'm taking you out for dinner sugar. It's all booked. It's that new Italian place that all the critics have been raving about. You need to get ready darlin." "What a lovely surprise, thank you" Sue-Ellen responded. She glanced at Bobby. The look that passed between them was interpreted by Lucy as a sign of regret that their time together had been brought to an end. "Y'all have a lovely time" the young girl shouted mischievously to her aunt and uncle as they walked indoors together.

As JR and Sue-Ellen made their way upstairs he caught hold of her by the arm and whispered "I need you to put on something real nice for me this evening sugar. You know what I mean don't you?" Sue-Ellen blushed. "Yes JR, of course" she replied. Suddenly her potential condition flashed into her mind. If I am pregnant and JR makes love to me a little roughly later like he did at the Lake House it might harm the baby she worried.

As Sue-Ellen got ready JR made a few calls regarding business. He kept himself deliberately out of his wife's way so that her eventual appearance would be a surprise. When she finally emerged she looked gorgeous. She was wearing a dark navy beaded cocktail dress by Valentino that she had bought on a recent shopping trip but had not worn before. JR fantasised about what lay ahead after dinner as he kissed her hand and complimented her appearance. "You are a beauty darlin. I will be the envy of every man in the restaurant" he gushed.

San Angelo's was packed when JR and Sue-Ellen entered. The restaurant had become an overnight sensation in Dallas when it had opened just a few months earlier. It was the "in" place to eat authentic Italian food but, more importantly, for Dallas socialites to be seen. The Ewing name was recognised immediately when JR rang to make a reservation. The Maitre D' also made the connection between JR and his stunning ex-beauty queen wife. What a boon to have such a glamorous couple come in he had thought to himself as he ensured that one of the best tables in the house was reserved for them.

Sue-Ellen was quietly impressed by JR's choice. She adored Italian food and the restaurant had a decadent and expensive atmosphere that was much to her taste. As the meal progressed and the wine flowed the couple's inhibitions lessened. Their behaviour became sweetly flirtatious. After the meal JR touched his wife's hand in response to which she discreetly placed his hand on her thigh under the table permitting him to feel the outline of her stocking and suspender belt. JR was instantly turned on and urgently desired to get her home and into bed. As he requested the bill Sue-Ellen paid a visit to the Ladies' room.

When she returned she was close to tears. "JR, I'm not feeling well. I need to get home quickly" she whispered. "Honey?" he enquired. However, she could not answer him. She wasn't pregnant and her husband's desire to make passionate love to her that night would also go unfulfilled. All the way home Sue-Ellen cried silent tears. JR was worried and confused. Deep down he was also very frustrated by his wife's sudden and dramatic decline. Sometimes, he thought, I just don't understand her.

TBC


	4. Chapter 5

When they arrived home Sue-Ellen fled upstairs. JR shook his head in bewilderment and went to pour himself a drink. At that point Bobby came into the room. "Did you have an enjoyable dinner JR?" he enquired noting Sue-Ellen's absence immediately. "Yes Bobby but Sue-Ellen became unwell just as we were finishing and she's gone straight up to bed" JR replied. Somehow he felt the need to explain why his date with his wife had not gone entirely to plan. Bobby was genuinely concerned "does she need the doctor. Shall I call Dr. Danvers?" "No Bob. Anyway I am perfectly capable of taking care of my own wife thanks" JR muttered. He was irritated more because he had not got what he wanted from the evening than because of Bobby's concern.

When JR entered their bedroom Sue-Ellen was asleep. She had effectively cried herself to sleep. "Women's problems" had never been a topic of conversation between them. Sue-Ellen was far too private about such matters and JR too squeamish but when he pulled back the bedclothes to join her her night attire signalled what the problem had been. JR felt foolish. He had been so selfish that he had totally overlooked his wife's disappointment about their evening not ending in the way that they had both wished. He snuggled into her inhaling the smell of her hair and fading perfume, oblivious to the much more important reason for her distress.

In the days that followed JR made every effort to be attentive to his beautiful young wife. He still thought about sex with Julie but was distracted in any event by Jock's demands of him at the office. Sue-Ellen was quieter than usual he noticed. It was as if the light had gone out of her beautiful hazel eyes. He enquired after her health assuming that she was having a bad time but Sue-Ellen politely informed him that all was fine and not to worry. JR was anxious and bewildered though.

A week later Sue-Ellen and Miss Ellie were sat at the kitchen table. They were busy with the arrangements for the forthcoming barbeque but it was clear to Miss Ellie that her daughter-in-law was preoccupied with a different issue. She too had noticed Sue-Ellen's loss of joy and vibrancy. "Sue-Ellen dear, is there anything wrong?" she enquired. " No thank you Miss Ellie. Everything is just fine" Sue-Ellen politely responded as they continued to look at catering menus and professional bar services. Miss Ellie placed her hand gently on her daughter-in-law's. She was determined to get to the bottom of what was an obvious problem. "There is something not right Sue-Ellen. I want to help but I can only do that if you tell me. Is it JR?"

Sue-Ellen's eyes welled up. She bit on her lip and looked down at the floor to try to regain her composure but it was hopeless and within seconds she had dissolved into tears. "Well it is and it isn't. JR is fine but he is working hard and I miss him and I want to give him a baby so much but we never seem to get any time together these days for, well, you know" she blurted.

Miss Ellie patted her hand gently. "Oh Sue-Ellen I understand just what you mean now" she smiled. "When Jock and I were younger our marriage went through what I would describe as, erm, a lull. Jock was working very long hours and I had JR and Gary to care for. We hardly got any time together. I began to worry that he might lose interest in me and that was the last thing I wanted." She had gained Sue-Ellen's attention. "So what did you do?" "I staged an intervention" the older woman replied.

Miss Ellie went on to explain to Sue-Ellen that she had contacted Jock's secretary to find an evening when he had no meetings in his diary. She then booked a table at his favourite restaurant- Jock loved the steak at the Cattlemen's Club. Finally, she made sure with the concierge of their condominium that it was in tip-top order. "So I went to the office dressed up to the nines, Sue-Ellen. I took Jock for dinner and then back to the condo and I seduced him!" Miss Ellie shyly giggled as she recalled the evening in question. " Our marriage was invigorated. It's how we came to have Bobby. A wife has to keep things fresh and interesting for her husband." she advised sagely.

Miss Ellie's advice came as a very unexpected revelation to Sue-Ellen. To date Sue-Ellen had always let JR take the lead in their lovemaking. It hadn't seemed ladylike to seize the initiative but Miss Ellie was a true lady from an older generation and if she deemed it appropriate it was worth a try. She immediately brightened in her mood which pleased her mother-in-law enormously. Miss Ellie had always felt sorry for Sue-Ellen that she didn't have a mother whom she could turn to easily for advice. "You arrange the date and I will square it with Jock, discreetly of course." Sue-Ellen got up to make the first of her calls but before leaving the room she bent down and kissed Miss Ellie on the cheek. "Thank you Miss Ellie. I feel tonnes better."

Sue-Ellen's seduction of JR came three evenings later. Whilst Julie hadn't enjoyed co-operating with her boss's wife concerning what was obviously the arrangement of a dinner date she had no option but to assist. She could not risk losing her job or angering JR. On the day itself Sue-Ellen had spent all day making sure that she looked perfect. She had been shopping, initially for new lingerie, but had also picked up a figure hugging yet classy dress to wear in the process. Appointments at the hairdresser and the beauty salon ensured that Sue-Ellen's hair and skin was at its absolute best. Finally, spurred on by some advice that Sue-Ellen had come across in a copy of "Cosmopolitan" magazine at the salon, a special gift had been purchased for JR.

When Sue-Ellen came downstairs she took Miss Ellie's breath away. She was stunning. "Oh Sue-Ellen! How lovely you look!" Miss Ellie exclaimed. "Have a wonderful time." She glanced meaningfully at her daughter-in-law, Lucy's sudden presence preventing anything further being said. "Wow Sue-Ellen!" the young girl exclaimed "you look just like a fashion model. Where are you going?" "Oh I'm just meeting JR for dinner in town" Sue-Ellen replied casually. Hmm... thought the teenager.

As Sue-Ellen was getting into her car Bobby arrived home. These days he kept very much to 9 to 5 working hours for a number of reasons, not least that he could spend time with his sister-in-law in the early evenings without the intrusion of her husband's presence. Bobby was pole-axed by Sue-Ellen's appearance. He cleared his throat before addressing her. "Going somewhere nice Sue-Ellen?" he asked. "Just for dinner with JR" she replied not noticing the effect that she had on him. "We may stay the night in town" she explained. She didn't fancy having to address that issue in the morning with the family when she returned to the ranch. At that she got into the car. Bobby walked dejectedly into the house. JR doesn't deserve such a beautiful and devoted wife he seethed. I wish she was mine.

When Sue-Ellen walked into the offices of Ewing Oil it was obvious that only her husband remained. The light was on in his room and she could hear his voice speaking to someone on the telephone. She waited for the call to end before knocking on the door and letting herself in. JR jumped up from his seat at the unexpected vision of beauty that greeted him. "Sue-Ellen, what are you doing here darlin?" "I came to take you to dinner." She approached him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips "and then afterwards who knows what we might get up to?" she whispered as she nibbled his ear gently. JR was intrigued. He was also excited. "What, what about dinner with the family?" he stuttered. "All taken care of my love. They are not expecting us home."

JR pulled his wife to him grasping her around her waist. Sue-Ellen tactically permitted her coat to fall from her shoulders to the floor so that he could look at her properly. God she looks amazing he thought as he began to kiss her, gently at first but then much more passionately. Sue-Ellen broke the kiss. "There will be much more of that later, I promise. But we have a reservation to keep. I can't have you going hungry. You are going to need lots of energy later" she giggled seductively.

Over dinner Sue-Ellen discreetly but overtly flirted with JR. He was wild with desire for her by the time that they reached the condo, Sue-Ellen having whispered to him in the back of the cab all the things that she wanted them to do to each other that night. As they entered the condo JR was intent on ripping Sue-Ellen's dress off her. However, she firmly insisted on him pausing whilst she presented him with the slim but beautifully wrapped gift that she had concealed in her clutch bag. He quickly undid the package to find two long, black silky ties designed specifically as an aid to sex. "Undress me JR and then tie me to the bed please. I am yours and I want to please you. You can do whatever you want to me." JR was beside himself. He had sometimes fantasised about this kind of thing. He enjoyed being a little rough with his young wife. The idea of her being powerless to resist him was an immense turn on. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Her behaviour that evening had been a revelation and in marked contrast to her recently somewhat subdued mood and he intended to enjoy every moment.

As she permitted JR to undress her and tie her by her wrists to the bed Sue-Ellen revelled in her husband's state of excitement. If this didn't get her pregnant nothing would.

Tbc


	5. Chapter 6

The night at the condo was truly memorable for JR. Sue-Ellen made sure of that. It heralded a new chapter in their marriage in which variety certainly became the spice of their sex life. Sue-Ellen planned their encounters with almost military precision. Wednesday evenings became "date night" most weeks. JR never ceased to be amazed at his young wife's talent for innovation when it came to lovemaking. It kept him keen and interested in her. Surprise gifts of flowers, jewellery and the like were his way of rewarding her but all she wanted was a husband who loved her and the continuation of their regular, enjoyable baby-making sessions.

The family noticed the difference in JR's and Sue-Ellen's relationship. Jock and Miss Ellie were pleased that the couple were so attached to each other. It boded well for the arrival of another grandchild. Bobby was annoyed, a fact that hadn't escaped Lucy's attention. To irk him further she would make pointed comments about her aunt and uncle. "They are so in love Bobby doesn't it make you feel sick? It does me" she once muttered deviously. "Don't make personal comments about your elders Lucy and mind your own business" Bobby snapped back in response. Lucy sniggered. Her devious way with words had succeeded in provoking her younger uncle.

Bobby's loneliness and isolation was all too evident to his parents but his desire for Sue-Ellen remained off their radar. To remedy the situation Jock decided to send Bobby out touting for business more often. He hoped that whilst entertaining business associates at fancy venues Bobby might catch the eye of an attractive girl or two and start enjoying himself once more. Bobby was good-looking and rich to boot. He should be able to have any girl he wanted Jock mused.

With only a week to go to the barbeque Sue-Ellen's days were totally occupied. She is a real trouper, thought Miss Ellie, as her daughter-in-law enthusiastically liaised with the suppliers of the food and drink, the agent for the band and the florist. She also had the inspired idea to hold a firework display at the end of the evening and set to work finding the best pyrotechnics company in Texas to put together an awe-inspiring display.

The big day arrived and Sue-Ellen woke early. There was much to be done. However, as she went to get out of bed JR pulled her back. "Come on darlin' give your husband a little sugar. You have plenty of time." Sue-Ellen knew exactly what he wanted. She wriggled down the bed and took hold of JR's manhood stroking and caressing him at first before pleasuring him with her mouth. He moaned in ecstasy. She was getting really good at this he thought as he reached his nadir. Afterwards he kissed his wife tenderly. "Will the prettiest girl in Texas save me a dance?" he asked. "Flattery will get you everywhere. Of course I will" she responded as she made finally to get up.

It was a beautiful late summer's day at Southfork and by mid-afternoon the party was in full swing. JR and Jock circulated primarily among their business associates making sure that they had plenty to drink and exchanging jokes and pleasantries. Sue-Ellen and Miss Ellie took it in turns to supervise the food. "Nobody leaves a Ewing barbeque hungry" Miss Ellie laughed as Sue-Ellen took over from her.

Bobby made every effort to enjoy the day. He didn't know as many folk as his older brother but he was handsome and charming so his mother set him to work to greet the guests as they arrived. "Hey Bobby!" a tall yet stocky man called out "It's just great to be here. I understand that our old fields are making Ewing Oil a pretty penny. Perhaps we should have held out for a higher price!" John Kay was the elder of the two Kay brothers who had recently done business with the Ewings. Bobby shook his hand warmly in welcome.

"Bobby I would like to introduce you to my wife, Sandy, and my daughter, Grace." Bobby looked at the two women. Sandy Kay was a glamorous fifty something with bouffant blonde hair and a slim figure. "Grace is reading law at Harvard" John boasted. Bobby took the hand of the young woman. Gosh, he thought, she is something else. Grace Kay had been educated at the finest schools by her doting parents. She had a quick and clever wit, well-suited to a career in the law, but it was her looks that attracted the most attention. Tall, blonde and slender with striking blue eyes framed by long, thick eyelashes she was well aware of her power over the opposite sex. "How do you do, Mr. Ewing? It sure is nice to meet you. Daddy has told me a lot about you." "Call me Bobby" he gushed in reply.

Grace stared provocatively at Bobby as they continued to hold each other's hand. Oh yes, he was real handsome, she mused. Way better than the earnest bespectacled types in her class. "Let me take you to get something to eat and drink" Bobby ventured. Fortuitously Jock came over to say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Kay just at that point leaving Grace to follow Bobby into the thick of the party alone. "Champagne?" he solicitously enquired as they neared the bar. "Hell no!" Grace laughed "Much happier with a beer. Keep me company Bobby?" Two beers each later they were laughing and chatting. Bobby was genuinely enjoying the girl's laid back company. Jock and Miss Ellie looked over and smiled at each other. "That's what Bobby needs Miss Ellie. The attention of a pretty girl" the old man commented.

Sue-Ellen's turn at supervising the catering came to an end when her mother-in-law came over to relieve her. JR had asked her for a dance. Sue-Ellen was wearing tight blue jeans tucked into the expensive cowboy boots that JR had bought for her. A red checked shirt and custom-made cowgirl hat completed the ensemble. She looked great, her husband thought, as he led her to the dance floor. JR and Sue-Ellen enjoyed dancing and they made an impressive couple as they danced the Texas two-step. For a time they only had eyes for each other. JR's mind wandered to later...

"Come on Bobby, let's dance" Grace exclaimed, taking his hand. Bobby didn't hesitate to take her up on her offer. As they made their way onto the dance floor they attracted the attention of JR and Sue-Ellen. "Hey Bob, who's your friend?" JR asked, quietly impressed that his younger brother had found such a stunning dance partner. "JR, Sue-Ellen, let me introduce you to Grace Kay, John's daughter" Bobby replied. As JR and Grace exchanged brief pleasantries Bobby glanced at Sue-Ellen.

Sue-Ellen was unexpectedly affected by the sight of Bobby with his beautiful companion. She felt a mixture of confusion, irritation and, surely not, jealousy? "JR I'm so sorry" she interjected. "I'm not feeling too well. It must be the heat." She fell into her husband's arms. "Oh God she's fainted!" JR exclaimed. "Clear the way please she needs some air" he shouted as he carried her away from the floor.

Lucy had watched the scene intently. Unbeknown to her grandparents she and Muriel had been vacuuming up drinks that had been left by other guests. She was very tipsy.

"Sue-Ellen!" Miss Ellie patted her daughter-in-law's cheek gently to bring her round. "Oh dear what's wrong?" By this point the family had all gathered around Sue-Ellen. JR held her hand. He was worried for his young wife. Jock and Bobby looked helplessly on.

"I know what's wrong with her!" Lucy shrieked. "She and Bobby are having an affair!"

TBC

 **Author's note. Thank you for the positive feedback. I won't be writing for several days now. I'm going away for the weekend (hurrah!) x**


	6. Chapter 7

Lucy's allegation was met with stunned silence by the rest of the family. JR turned away from Sue-Ellen who was slowly coming round. "Lucy, what the hell?" he shouted. "Grandma" the youngster replied "I don't feel well." Miss Ellie marched Lucy indoors where she was unceremoniously and violently sick. "Help your wife to bed JR" barked Jock. "Later on I want an explanation about all of this though." Jock turned on his heels to address his guests. " My daughter-in-law simply got a little over heated. She is fine. Now let's enjoy the rest of the party!" he announced.

As Miss Ellie tucked Lucy into bed she admonished the young girl for her behaviour. "Lucy not only are you drunk but you have said something absolutely scandalous about Sue-Ellen and Bobby." However, Lucy was not one for backing down. "It's true grandma. I've seen them with my own eyes!" she protested. "Seen what?" her grandmother asked. "A few weeks ago after dinner they were sitting outside together and I saw them. Bobby was stroking Sue-Ellen's face and she was crying." "Now then young lady, that means nothing." "But, but haven't you seen the way he looks at her grandma? It's obvious, he's in love with her!"

Miss Ellie warned Lucy again about over-imagination and trouble-making and left the room for the young girl to sleep the alcohol off. She would feel horrendous in the morning and that should teach her a lesson. She might also think better of what she had said. However, as she came down the stairs to re-join her guests something in Lucy's words chimed with Miss Ellie and she suddenly felt quite anxious. God, please no, she prayed. It would rip the family apart if it's true.

JR had carried Sue-Ellen up the stairs and lay her on the bed. He was devastated. Lucy's words had cut him to the quick and his heart now felt like it was in the grip of an icy hand. Sue-Ellen was ignorant of the drama that had occurred in the wake of her fainting episode. She put out her hand to JR beckoning him to sit with her. "I'm so sorry JR. I've never fainted before. I don't know what got into me." JR made no effort to comfort her. "Lie down now Sue-Ellen. We will talk later" he said coldly as he went out. Sue-Ellen was hurt and confused. Is he angry with me because I interrupted the party? she wondered. Suddenly she recalled how she had felt just before her collapse. Bobby was dancing with a lovely young woman and it had annoyed her. Why had she felt that way? She loved JR deeply and passionately. She was so mixed up. She tried to lie still. A wave of nausea had now taken over her body making it impossible to think rationally.

JR took the stairs two at a time in his quest to confront Bobby. He had always been acutely aware of Bobby's good looks and innate ability to attract women. What if his darling Sue-Ellen had fallen for his charms? If so, he would kill him. However, the love- life that they had been enjoying recently was inconsistent with her affections lying elsewhere. Why would Sue-Ellen make every effort to please him in bed on a very regular basis if it was Bobby that she really wanted?

Bobby had made himself scarce in the wake of Lucy's drunken allegation. He knew only too well that JR would be on the warpath. He sincerely hoped that JR had not hurt Sue-Ellen. She deserves none of this, he thought. How could he put an end to all this madness? If he confessed his feelings for Sue-Ellen to JR and his parents they would probably ostracise him. If he denied that Lucy's instincts were accurate he would be making trouble for her. He decided on the lesser of the two evils. Nobody would be inclined to believe Lucy in the face of a flat denial by him and she had always had a reputation for mischief making. He turned and headed back for the house intending to face his brother down but before he could get there he encountered Grace again. "Bobby! Is Sue-Ellen ok?" she asked. "Yes she is fine thanks. It was nothing." "Good. What about that dance then?" Bobby didn't want to be impolite as Grace was a pleasant and very attractive young woman whom in different circumstances he would have liked to spend time with. "I can't, I'm sorry. I need to go and, er, check on something. But I tell you what? Give me your number and if you are free some time I'd really like to take you out for dinner and get to know you better." Grace's eyes lit up. Her summer vacation had been one long bore so far. Going out with Bobby Ewing would be a lot of fun, she mused. She reached into her bag and scribbled her number on a small piece of paper. As she handed it to Bobby she kissed him on the cheek and whispered "I'd very much like to get to know you a lot better, Mr. Ewing."

"Hey Bobby!" JR hollered as she spotted his brother coming into view. "We need to talk." Bobby remained composed even though he was shaking inside. "Yes JR. I want to end this nonsense right now. There is nothing going on between me and Sue-Ellen. End of story. You can believe Lucy's foolish notions if you like but I'm telling you. She is a stupid, bratty little girl who exists to make trouble. And she was drunk!"

JR was slightly taken aback by Bobby's vehement defence of himself. "Well, Bob. I know what Lucy can be like. She's been spoilt rotten by daddy and mama but it's one hell of a tale even for her to make up" JR shouted. "And Sue-Ellen is a very beautiful young woman who attracts male attention wherever she goes. Why should you be immune?" "Don't believe me then. Ask your wife. She is mad about you. Any fool can see that." "Oh I sure will be asking Sue-Ellen all about this Bobby. You'd better hope that her response is the same as yours." JR attempted to call his brother's bluff but Bobby remained unmoved. "Go ahead JR!"

JR returned to the house and went upstairs. Sue-Ellen remained lying on the bed. She felt slightly better but JR's coldness with her after her faint told her that something was wrong. As JR entered the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him, a knot of fear tightened in Sue-Ellen's stomach. JR didn't often become angry with her but when he did he was cruel and menacing. She remembered how he marched her out of the restaurant near the Lake House for chatting to another man. The anger in his eyes and his horrid accusations had frightened her even though she had summoned up the courage to give as good as she had got.

"You feeling better sugar?" his tone was unpleasant. "Yes thank you JR. Darling what's wrong? I'm sorry if I embarrassed you by passing out. It's never happened to me before." "Hah! It wasn't your little fainting fit that made me mortified. It was the news, from my little niece of all people, that you have been screwing my baby brother!" "No JR! That's madness! I have never done anything even slightly wrong with Bobby. Oh my God please believe me." She got up to face her husband. She was shell-shocked.

"Well that's not what Lucy says and why would that girl lie, Sue-Ellen? What would motivate her to tell such wicked lies?" "I don't know. She may not be lying but she sure is seriously mistaken. Or deluded."

"What is it Sue-Ellen? Do you like the tall, dark and handsome cowboy look?" JR was on a roll. "When he invites you to go riding is that a euphemism for riding him? Do you open those long legs for Bobby as easily as you open them for me. Is it a turn on being fucked by two brothers? Why don't you find Gary and have the whole set?"

Sue-Ellen could stand it no longer. She took fly at JR and slapped him sharply across the face. "You are disgusting." JR grabbed her by both arms and flung her onto the bed. She tried to get up but he threw her down again this time lying on top of her with his full weight. She was powerless to resist as he began kissing her face and neck. "No, I don't want you, not like this" she protested. "Oh, Miss Texas, yes you do. I know what you like." JR was angry but full of passion for his stunning young wife. She still has this effect on me even when I'm mad at her, he thought. He needed to make her his again. It was an almost primeval and animalistic reaction to the notion that another man had had her.

He pulled her roughly further up the bed and continued kissing her, fumbling with the belt on her jeans at the same time. Something suddenly caused him to look into her eyes. She didn't look angry or scared, just sad. Her hazel eyes were brimming with tears. "Do it if you must JR. It's meant to be love though. All the other times we have done this it's been through love for each other, not anger." JR released his hold on her, her words and demeanour bringing him rapidly to his senses. "Oh my God Sue-Ellen, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I almost, oh God, I almost forced myself on you."

Sue-Ellen took hold of him by the shoulders. She meant business. "I swear JR. Bobby and I have never been lovers. I love you, only you." JR took hold of her and gently kissed her lips. "Can you ever forgive me?" he begged. There were no words. They clung to each other for several minutes. "We will deal with this together" JR announced. "And I am going to make damn sure that that little minx Lucy is dealt with properly for her lies." "Stay with me tonight JR. We can sort this all out tomorrow morning. I'm not feeling great and I just want to go to bed- with you"

The sound of fireworks jolted them. They went to the window and stared at the magnificent display in the clear night sky. It had certainly been a day of fireworks but there was still more to come...

TBC

 **Author's note:**

 **Thank you for the feedback. It's encouraging me to write :) x  
**


	7. Chapter 8

After the firework display most of the guests at the barbeque expressed their gratitude and left. The remaining few stragglers continued to be entertained by Jock allowing Miss Ellie the opportunity to check up on the rest of the family. As the party had gone on Miss Ellie had become increasingly anxious about what she would face afterwards. However, not that her guests would know. It was not the done thing for a Ewing to lose face by admitting that things were not all as they should be.

She made her way upstairs. She checked first on Lucy and was relieved to find the young girl fast asleep. As she approached JR's and Sue-Ellen's room she noted that all was quiet. Was this a good sign? She pondered. Miss Ellie knew what her oldest son could be capable of when angry and she was worried for his young wife. She knocked smartly on their door. "JR? I need to speak to you." After a few seconds JR came to the door. He was ready for bed. "Mama?" "I need to see Sue-Ellen" his mother replied. "Is she alright JR?" JR did not care much for his mother's tone. It was accusatory, as if he might have harmed Sue-Ellen. "Mama, Sue-Ellen is fine. We are both going to bed but tomorrow I intend to deal with the terrible mess that your beloved grandaughter has caused for myself and my wife."

"JR I want to speak to Sue-Ellen." Miss Ellie stood her ground. At that Sue-Ellen came to the door. She was wearing her nightgown and, thankfully, appeared unhurt and unafraid. "I'm sorry, Miss Ellie. I was just getting undressed" she explained. "Everything is fine between JR and I. I have no idea what occurred exactly this afternoon but I am sure that it can be resolved tomorrow after a good night's sleep. Goodnight." "Goodnight both of you" Miss Ellie said as she turned to walk away. JR and Sue-Ellen might sleep tonight but she wasn't sure that she would.

As Miss Ellie walked back downstairs she was met by Jock. Having used his best endeavours to contain his anger during the party he now looked ready to explode. Miss Ellie decided to take pre-emptive action. "Jock, Sue-Ellen and JR are just fine. It can wait til tomorrow after Lucy has sobered up." Jock respected his wife too much to go against her wishes. "Alright then. But where the hell is Bobby?"

Bobby had taken himself off after the party to a local bar where the Southfork ranch hands were regulars. He was in no hurry to be confronted by his parents. He might have got away with it with JR so far but he had no idea what lay ahead. He needed time to think, to anticipate anything that might have been said by Lucy in her defence, and meet it with a convincing response. He determined not to return home until the early hours when he was confident that his father would have given up waiting for him to come home.

After several minutes of searching for Bobby Jock and Miss Ellie took themselves to bed. They were exhausted. "Why can the Ewings never throw a party without some sort of dramatic incident?" Jock enquired. "At least nobody ended up in the pool" Miss Ellie joked, attempting to lighten the atmosphere as they got into bed and turned off the light.

JR and Sue-Ellen lay in bed wide awake. Both were unsettled. JR felt bad about the way he had refused to believe Sue-Ellen's denial of any infidelity with Bobby. He shuddered as he recalled his assault upon her. He was, for once in his life, utterly ashamed of himself. How could he allow such irrational jealousy of his beautiful young wife to influence his actions like that?

Sue-Ellen remained in a state of confusion about what had provoked Lucy's bizarre allegation about her and Bobby. JR had been too angry and then too upset for her to ask for a detailed explanation from him. All would no doubt be clarified in the morning. However, something instinctive told her that she would need her husband to be in total support of her even though the allegation was completely false. There is always one way to get JR on side she thought. She moved closer to him in bed and began caressing him over his pyjamas. JR responded physically but was reticent to take things any further, conscious of his earlier behaviour towards her. Sue-Ellen propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him passionately. "I want you JR" she whispered. "Are you sure?" he replied "I don't want you to think you have to do this." She kissed him once more and this time he was powerless to resist her. He responded by running his hands over her body desperately trying to work out the quickest way to take off her nightgown.

JR used his utmost to be gentle with his lovely young wife. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly as he entered her. They naturally found their rhythm. It was a slow and tender pace that permitted them both to carry on longer than usual. As he eventually brought her to her climax JR whispered his love for her. Sue-Ellen gasped as she felt herself tighten around him before coming slowly and in repeated waves like she had never done before. In turn JR exploded inside her. He moaned loudly causing his beautiful young wife to place her hand gently over his mouth so as not to wake the rest of the family. "Oh darlin, that was so good. You are so good" he complimented her. "Only to you my love, remember that" she responded before they both drifted blissfully to sleep.

The morning brought about fresh drama. Bobby and Lucy both woke with crashing hangovers. I need the room and my insides to stop spinning Lucy thought as she buried her head under the bedclothes. Bobby took paracetamol and then hid also under his bedcovers. Sue-Ellen woke and sat up in bed but within seconds was hit by the most powerful wave of nausea. She ran to the bathroom quickly followed by JR. He gently held back her long shiny hair as she vomited. He had never seen her like this before. "Oh God, JR, I feel terrible" she muttered afterwards. "Do you think it was something you ate, sugar?" JR asked attentively. "I don't know. I have to get back into bed. I can't function" she replied. "Would some breakfast help? What if I fetch you some tea and toast?" The very thought was more than she could bear. She jumped from the bed once again only just managing to reach the toilet in time. After her second, violent bout of sickness JR helped her back into bed. "Just rest and sleep it off, honey. I will be back in a short while."

For all JR's concern about his wife's health he remained pre-occupied with the need to deal with Lucy. He got dressed and joined his parents at the breakfast table. He explained that his wife was sick and then immediately noticed the absence of Lucy and Bobby. "Where the hell are those two?" he asked, his voice raised in irritation "It's gone nine." Before his mother could stop him JR thundered up the stairs and knocked sharply on Lucy's door. "Now come on young lady, you need to explain your behaviour yesterday. You might as well face it rather than delay the agony." He was abruptly interrupted by Sue-Ellen who had emerged from their room. She was shaking. "Not now, please JR, I feel terrible. I think I need the doctor" she moaned. JR had been joined by his parents by this time. Miss Ellie looked at her daughter-in-law. She was very pale, almost translucent, and her huge eyes were hollow. "Oh no, my dear. Jock, please call Dr. Danvers right away" Miss Ellie commanded. Jock flew downstairs as JR and Miss Ellie helped Sue-Ellen back to bed. "I can't stop being sick" she groaned. "I think it's food poisoning."

Sue-Ellen had suffered food poisoning before whilst a student at college and the debilitating effect of the accompanying sickness was very similar to how she felt now. JR sat with her tenderly patting her hand. "Lie still darlin. The doctor will be here soon" he said soothingly. Sue-Ellen did as she was asked. Miss Ellie glanced worriedly at her eldest son. Sue-Ellen was usually such a healthy girl, she mused. This was not like her at all.

Dr. Harland Danvers had been the Ewings' personal physician for years. He lived locally to Braddock and was able to get to Southfork in under fifteen minutes. He was a kindly man who had got to know the family very well. He had never been called out to JR's wife before though and he pondered on her reported symptoms as he made his way to the ranch. He was greeted at the door by Miss Ellie. "Harland, thank you for coming out so quickly. She can't stop vomiting. It might be something that she has eaten" she advised. "Don't worry Miss Ellie, I will have her as right as rain in no time" he responded reassuringly.

The doctor insisted on JR leaving the room for his examination of Sue-Ellen. He was the old-fashioned type of doctor who believed strongly in patient privacy. JR and Miss Ellie waited outside. Jock joined them. Dr. Danvers' investigations seemed to take an age and JR was just about losing his patience when the doctor finally emerged.

"Congratulations JR! You are going to be a daddy!" Dr. Danvers was only too aware of what his news would mean to JR and the family. As JR began to whoop with joy he was stopped short. "But" the doctor cautioned "Sue-Ellen may well be suffering from an extreme form of morning sickness. Hyperemesis gravidarum is the medical term for it. I am going to keep her under observation for a couple of days before making a decision." "A decision as to what?" Jock asked. "Whether to admit her to hospital for specialist re-hydration."

A stunned silence followed. "How serious is this, Harland?" Miss Ellie eventually broke the silence. "I'm not going to lie. It can be very serious for the mother and the baby."

"How long will it last?" JR asked. His feelings were a mix of extreme joy and anxiety. "Well I estimate that Sue-Ellen is about five weeks' pregnant and this can last for up to sixteen in the most severe of cases" the doctor responded. "I will be back first thing tomorrow. In the meantime try to get her to keep sipping water. Any deterioration though, however slight, and you call me immediately." The doctor took his leave after shaking hands with JR and Jock.

How about that? JR mused as he made to go into the bedroom to congratulate and minister to his amazing young wife. All of a sudden a terrible thought occurred to him. Five weeks ago was before Sue-Ellen had re-ignited their love-life with the night at the condo. Before that it had hardly happened between them. Lucy's words yesterday re-entered his head. _"She and Bobby are having an affair!"_

The darkest of clouds descended over JR just as Bobby came out of his room, his head still sore from last night's over-indulgence. "Bobby!" JR roared " If you've touched my wife I'm gonna kill you!" Miss Ellie flinched at her eldest son's unexpected display of rage. "Mama, fetch Lucy. She has some questions to answer!"

TBC


	8. Chapter 9

Miss Ellie went to fetch Lucy. She had hoped that all of yesterday's trouble could be somehow swept under the carpet but the news of Sue-Ellen's pregnancy had blown that possibility out of the water. She reflected on what Lucy had drunkenly told her as she put her to bed. Had she seen Bobby look at his sister-in-law in a way that betrayed deeper feelings? Sometimes there would be a glance, she thought, but perhaps no more than any young red-blooded male's reaction to the sight of a very attractive young woman and JR had certainly bagged a beauty in Sue-Ellen. _"I like hearing about your day."_ She remembered Bobby's comment. It was more suited to what a newly married husband might say. Miss Ellie was worried.

As Bobby made his way downstairs his mind raced. How was he going to handle this? What had made JR fly off the handle yet again? He had thought he had got away with it yesterday afternoon when he had been confronted by his brother. Stick to the script, he resolved. If you do nobody is going to believe little Lucy.

JR was torn between wanting to rip his brother's head off and confronting his wife about the paternity of her unborn child. Had they done it approximately five weeks ago he wondered? Usually he could recall even the "quickies" with his stunning young wife. Sex was such an important thing in his life that he was certain that he would recall even a short interlude in what was otherwise a physical drought. It was also at that exact time that he had been thinking about taking Julie to a hotel to get what he wanted from her. He turned to go to their bedroom but was warned against it by a look from his father. "Not now boy, you heard what the doctor said" Jock warned.

As JR got to the top of the stairs he saw his mother and niece descending. Before they had exited Lucy's room Miss Ellie felt it appropriate to warn her. "Lucy you won't be in trouble as long as you tell the truth. This is so important you must understand. It could mean the end of your uncle's and aunt's marriage." Grandma looks tearful but none of this is my fault, she thought. Lucy had always been the mistress of petulance when cornered. "Yes grandma" she replied insincerely.

The family gathered in the living room. It wasn't often that Miss Ellie felt sorry for her eldest son. He had always been such an independent child, not one for kisses and hugs from his mama like Gary and Bobby had been. However, his look now was one of total devastation. She wanted to reach out to him and reassure him that all would be well but she couldn't be sure of that.

As ever Jock was the first to speak. He explained to Bobby and Lucy that the doctor had been and confirmed that Sue-Ellen was in the early stages of pregnancy. Now more than ever was the time for what Lucy had alleged yesterday to be discussed.

JR interjected "and if it is true, daddy, and I'm not the father of Sue-Ellen's child I expect them both to be thrown off this ranch for good!" "Hang on a moment there, JR, if you are not the daddy then Bobby is and no grandchild of mine is going anywhere" Jock replied solemnly. "Jock!" Miss Ellie shouted "think about what you are saying, think about JR and his feelings." She was furious with her husband, her sense of injustice for JR palpable.

Bobby decided to break the impasse between his parents. "This is ludicrous! I have never laid a finger on Sue-Ellen. I swear! Lucy, you are dangerous with your lies! Come on, admit it." He felt bad about sacrificing his teenage niece's integrity. He had always had enormous affection for her, despite her faults, but he had let things go too far and this was his only escape route. Plus, there was Sue-Ellen and her child to think of. They were total innocents in all of this.

Lucy paused. She knew what she had seen. Bobby had touched Sue-Ellen's face that night and she had seen him look longingly at her a few times. However, she had never seen them kiss or even hold hands and she had never seen Sue-Ellen look at anyone lovingly other than JR. She swallowed. Bobby owes me one for what I am about to do, she thought cunningly. "JR, I'm so sorry. I haven't seen anything. Muriel and I got drunk and, and, it was meant to be a joke..." She looked pleadingly at her grandparents but both glared back at her.

"She needs sorting out daddy" JR thundered. "She certainly does" Bobby tactically joined in. "Don't worry boys she will be" Jock responded looking disgustedly at Lucy. "Get to your room young lady. Your grandmother and I will work out how long you are grounded for later but don't expect it to be short."

Miss Ellie sent Lucy upstairs. She was quietly impressed with the young girl for falling on her sword in the way that she had. She would talk Jock round later into agreeing the shortest period of grounding that she could decently get away with. She also intended to speak to her husband about his blatant insensitivity to his eldest son's feelings. Had he honestly thought that Sue-Ellen, Bobby and their baby could stay here and play happy families? It was insane.

"Well that's that!" Jock exclaimed. He appeared relieved that disaster had been averted. "JR, you have a pregnant wife to look after. By the way, son, congratulations and well done. Let's look forward to the birth of little John Ross Ewing the third!"

JR shook his father's hand. He was still smarting though. Would his father really have accepted Sue-Ellen and her bastard child remaining on Southfork if his beloved Bobby had been the father? Thoughts of revenge entered his head once more. He had been too busy at the office recently to plan his baby brother's downfall for all, including his father, to see. However, the game was now back on.

Bobby felt cowed and ashamed. He also felt extremely envious of his brother's and sister-in-law's happy news. Enough now, he cautioned himself. You have to forget Sue-Ellen and find someone else. He resolved to ask his father to assign him to more "touting outings" on the road to take his mind off things. This so easily could have turned into disaster for all of the family.

JR entered the bedroom. He looked at his lovely young wife who was now, thankfully, sleeping. He was still troubled. When had they conceived this baby? Sue-Ellen woke as JR gently touched her arm. She smiled widely. She felt rotten but she was so, so happy. JR cleared his throat. "Honey, I'm so proud of you. When do you think it happened darlin?"

Sue-Ellen smiled again. "I know exactly when it happened JR. Do you remember that night when you and your daddy entertained the Cartel in town? You came back absolutely wasted but very amorous. It didn't last long but it clearly worked the trick" she giggled. Her sincerity and the spontaneity of her explanation touched him. He searched back through his memory files. A vague memory of a boozy night ending with him making love to her started to come back. She had been cross with him initially for disturbing her sleep as he kissed and caressed her after getting into bed but, as usual, he had won her round.

JR kissed his wife's lips. "Sugar, I can't tell you how happy you have made me. Now, Dr. Danvers says you need looking after real well. I'm staying with you. Sip some water honey."

TBC


	9. Chapter 10

When JR had originally planned revenge on his younger brother he had never imagined that when it came to be wrought it would involve not only Bobby's professional life but his romantic life also. JR also didn't bank on the havoc that would be caused in his marriage either.

The weeks following the drama at the barbeque were calm and uneventful. Sue-Ellen's sickness was kept under close observation by Dr. Danvers and her newly appointed consultant obstetrician, Dr. Scott. Dr. Janet Scott was British by birth but had been raised in Texas from the age of nine when her parents had emigrated for work purposes. Medical school had been Oxford University where she was top of her class. After spending her early years as a doctor in various hospitals in Europe Dr. Scott had returned to Texas where she had established a highly successful practice delivering babies for the rich and powerful. Dr. Danvers had referred Sue-Ellen to her. Only the best for a future Ewing and his or her mother, he thought.

Dr. Scott liked her new patient despite the fact that the two women were like chalk and cheese. Janet Scott could never have sacrificed her own career for the sake of her husband's even though he was one of the country's top oncologists. Their appearance was markedly different as well. Dr. Scott didn't go in for the latest designer fashion. Her hair and clothes were in keeping with the business in hand- looking after pregnant mothers and delivering healthy babies. That said, she found Sue-Ellen to be a pleasant and easy patient to look after. The young woman never complained and followed the doctor's instructions to the letter. There was no way that she was going to do anything to place her unborn child at risk and Dr. Scott respected the young woman for her assiduous approach to a healthy pregnancy.

After an extremely rough first few weeks which, at times, came dangerously close to Sue-Ellen needing to be admitted to hospital the vomiting began to abate. This was much to the relief of JR and the family but, most of all, the mother-to-be herself. Sue-Ellen began to bloom, a fact noticed appreciatively by her husband. JR found Sue-Ellen's more voluptuous figure irresistible. He loved spending time in the bedroom, just the two of them, kissing, fondling and stroking her neat baby bump gently.

As Sue-Ellen began to feel better she noticed, with happiness, that her desire for JR was beginning to return. At times her physical need for him seemed almost overwhelming. However, she was conscious of the safety of their baby. "Dr. Scott, now that I am feeling better I was wondering about resuming, er, relations with my husband. It wouldn't harm the baby would it?" she shyly asked at a routine check-up appointment. "Not at all Sue-Ellen. You are very healthy and the pregnancy is well-established now. It's quite common with the surges in hormone levels for pregnant women to become very keen on sex with their partner" the doctor replied matter of factly. "Some people think it's nature's way of helping the expectant parents to bond fully in anticipation of the arrival of their child." "Thank you doctor" Sue-Ellen responded with relief.

Following the appointment Sue-Ellen wasted no time in making it clear to JR that lovemaking on a very regular basis was how he would keep her happy. When he returned from work in the evenings she would often throw herself upon him begging him to "do it to her" before dinner. Sue-Ellen's appetite for sex came as a surprise to JR but certainly not an unwelcome one. It also served to keep him from being distracted by the charms of Julie Grey who annoyedly admitted defeat and backed away from her boss.

Meanwhile Bobby was as good as his word. He requested to be sent out on the road more to which Jock enthusiatically acceded. When Bobby was at home he began to look at Sue-Ellen somewhat differently. Her increasingly obvious pregnancy and overt devotion to JR served to quell what was previously in danger of becoming an unnatural obsession. Bobby began to think about dating again. There must be someone out there who is just right for me, he mused.

Bobby decided to act. He rang Grace Kay who was nearing the end of her summer vacation and asked her for a date. Grace was quick to accept. One date led to another and Bobby found himself increasingly attracted to the bright and vibrant young woman. The attraction was happily mutual but Grace had long since learned that the longevity of a relationship was in direct proportion to how long she made a boyfriend wait to get her into bed.

Grace went to bed with Bobby at the end of their fifth date. She deliberately waited beyond the three dates advice that she had read in "Cosmopolitan" magazine. She liked Bobby- a lot- and she didn't want to blow her chances of their going out together developing into a proper relationship. Their first sexual encounter revealed that they were physically very compatible and was immensely enjoyable. Grace enjoyed Bobby's muscular physique and the way that he could be strong yet gentle with her at the same time. Bobby liked the fact that Grace had few inhibitions. Her figure wasn't at all bad either. Slender but with a defined shape and a decent pair of breasts, he thought, as he watched her getting dressed after their first hotel stay together.

Sadly, however, the start of the new academic year came all too soon. Bobby remained keen to carry on seeing Grace whenever her classes at Harvard permitted. She was sexy and fun but he wasn't in love with her. Unfortunately, Grace had fallen hard for Bobby. She worried constantly about him finding someone else whilst she was away at college. She even considered seeking a transfer to a more local university to carry on with her studies. However, she soon saw sense realising that it would be a total waste for her to throw all her hard work away in getting into a top law school for a man, however charming and attractive.

Grace's parents were pleased about her seeing Bobby. They made such an attractive couple and Bobby Ewing could easily match their daughter in terms of wealth dollar for dollar. Sandy Kay sensed that her daughter was becoming emotionally invested in the relationship. It could be a lot worse, she pondered. Bobby is a total gentleman and not the type to insist on a wife staying at home as opposed to pursuing a career, she thought.

"So, I will be home for a long weekend at Thanksgiving but that's such a long time away" Grace told Bobby sadly on their last date before she was due to fly to Boston. "I'll come and see you for a weekend before that" Bobby reassured her "and we will keep in touch over the phone." They kissed as Bobby made to leave the Kay mansion. "Bet you meet someone else" Grace said, desperately hoping for more in the way of a declaration of love or, at least, commitment. "Bet you do, Miss Clever Pants" Bobby joked, blowing her a kiss as he got into his car. "Safe journey."

Grace was joined on the doorstep by her parents. She was in tears as Bobby's car disappeared from view. John and Sandy Kay were doting parents. Grace was their only child, Sandy having suffered a horrendous miscarriage eighteen months after Grace's birth which left her unable to have any more children. Sandy was determined. If Bobby Ewing was the key to her daughter's future happiness then she and her husband should do all they could to help the relationship along. Forging stronger links with the Ewings was the way to do it she decided and there was one sure way to achieve that. Business.

TBC

 **Author's note: this story about SE's pregnancy will not converge with Djinn's far superior epic, I promise, hence the different obstetrician (made up by me obviously). Thank you for the feedback :)**


	10. Chapter 11

As the autumn term got underway for Grace her mother wasted no time in her mission to ingratiate her family with the Ewings. John Kay was the older of the two Kay brothers. His younger brother, Stephen, was his business partner. John was several years older than Stephen and had married Sandy later on in life. He was now approaching sixty two and his and Sandy's thoughts had turned to retirement. Sandy's preference was to sell up and move back to Florida where she was born and raised. Their daughter had no interest whatsoever in taking over from her father and therefore, over time, John had begun the process of liquidating the assets of the company. His younger brother was by no means the brains of the business which was known as "Kay Holdings." He had, however, enjoyed an extremely comfortable life through John's efforts, a point that sometimes irritated Sandy. However, like the Ewings, the Kays believed strongly in family and John saw it as his responsibility to ensure that Stephen was well looked after.

With the encouragement of Sandy, where there were assets of the company that would be of interest to Ewing Oil, John began the practice of offering the Ewings first refusal. Several minor deals later and Jock and Miss Ellie and John and Sandy had developed a burgeoning friendship.

As promised Bobby visited Grace in Boston for a long weekend. He had remained faithful to her after she had returned to Harvard although his feelings were unchanged. Grace was fun and extremely sexy but for Bobby no long term future was envisaged. He was not in love with her. He contrasted how he felt about Grace with the way he had felt about Jenna Wade and Sue-Ellen. At the height of his attraction to Sue-Ellen she was all that Bobby could think about. He didn't just want to make love to her. He wanted what his older brother had- to be married to her, to share his life with her and to have children with her. Thankfully his obsession with his sister-in-law had eventually waned, the news of her pregnancy and the showdown with JR finally confirming to him, sadly, that she would never be his. He would, however, in the years yet to come retain a soft spot for Sue-Ellen which was interpreted by her in the way that she felt about him- fondness and affection but no more.

Grace's feelings for Bobby were far deeper and more complex. She excitedly told her college friends all about her handsome boyfriend. He was "the one" she confided to her best friend. She was planning a future with Bobby Ewing. She would qualify at Harvard but then immediately take the Texas State Bar exam and seek employment as an attorney back home. She was looking forward immensely to their weekend together and was naively untroubled by Bobby's somewhat casual approach to keeping in touch with her by telephone in the interim. "He's very busy at work" she told her friends "he's an oilman. It's non-stop work and his father is very demanding."

Bobby and Grace stayed in a hotel in the centre of Boston. When he first arrived sex was very much on the agenda. Grace did things in bed that Bobby had never experienced before. She was wild and uninhibited and made sure that he was more than satisfied. "I was educated in an all-girls school" she giggled after a hot and heavy session "they say the segregation from boys makes you mad for it. Also, it's ages since I last saw you and it's been difficult going without. A lot of self-abuse has taken place!" Bobby almost blushed. She's like a breath of fresh air compared to many of the Texan young ladies he had been introduced to in the process of his parents' efforts to find him Miss Right, he thought.

The weekend as a whole was spent seeing the sights. Grace took Bobby to Harvard which looked especially pretty on a bright, crisp autumn day . They explored Boston enjoying its bars and restaurants and, on their last day, they drove to Vermont. Grace wanted Bobby to see as much of the East coast as possible he never having been anywhere other than New York before.

Parting was agony for Grace but much easier for Bobby. He felt unsettled by the emotion that she overtly displayed at Logan Airport as they waited for his flight home. "Honey, you'll be home for Thanksgiving" he reassured her "and then it won't be long before your Christmas vacation." As he boarded the plane he was worried. Was that really "I love you" that she had mouthed to him as he passed through the departure gate? This needs to cool down he resolved to himself. She's a lovely girl and I don't want to hurt her. In theory it was easy, in practice a different proposition.

Meanwhile JR's and Sue-Ellen's state of marital bliss continued unabated. JR had begun to feel a deep attachment to his beautiful young wife that transcended the physical passion that had characterised their early days of marriage. He wanted to make her happy and look after her. He began his "new man" phase by accompanying Sue-Ellen to one of her appointments with Dr. Scott. Dr. Scott was impressed. She knew Texan men all too well, added to which JR Ewing was an oilman. However, he was certainly uxorious as he held his wife's hand and listened intently to what the doctor had to say about the progress of the pregnancy.

"Doctor, I wondered whether Sue-Ellen might be fit to travel abroad?" he enquired much to the surprise of Sue-Ellen. "I thought that a holiday might be nice for us both before we have our baby to consider." "Yes of course she is fit, Mr. Ewing" Dr. Scott replied. "Now is the optimum time to go. Sue-Ellen is nearly five months' pregnant and very healthy. Where did you have in mind?"

Sue-Ellen looked quizzically at JR but at the same time was smiling. "Paris" JR replied. "Neither of us has been but it was something we often talked about before we were married." "Excellent idea!" Dr. Scott remarked. " I know a very good obstetrician over there that I can refer Sue-Ellen to, just in case. He's very French and very handsome." "I hate him already!" JR joked. "Well that's settled. I will make the arrangements. We might even take in London whilst we are over there." "Paris is beautiful but London, ahh, that's a wonderful city. It's got more heart" the doctor advised, smiling at the memory of her days in training at St. Mary's Hospital.

When they returned home Sue-Ellen wasted no time in expressing her delight to her husband at the prospect of a European holiday. She led him to the bedroom. As soon as they got through the door she threw herself on him, kissing him deeply and passionately. She pulled him toward the bed and sat down. As he stood before her she unzipped his trousers and pleasured him with her mouth. JR sighed and moaned as she brought him to a climax using her mouth and her hands. Wow, he thought, as he cuddled up to her on the bed afterwards. Married life is nothing like the grind that I once imagined when I was younger and had a different girl every night.

Suddenly, a darker thought entered his mind. His little brother, Bobby. Daddy's favourite. When we get back from our holiday I must set to work to devise his downfall he mused.

TBC


	11. Chapter 12

"Wow Sue-Ellen, you sure are lucky going to Paris and then London!" Lucy exclaimed as she watched her aunt methodically packing for the trip. Since the barbeque debacle Lucy had been working hard to ingratiate herself once again with the family. Because Sue-Ellen had been very unwell in the early part of her pregnancy the family had protected her from the full detail of what had occurred. Lucy was, therefore, able to maintain a much easier relationship with her aunt than with her uncles. Lucy was also genuinely excited for Sue-Ellen about the baby. She couldn't wait to have a little cousin to cuddle and fuss over.

After the consultation with Dr. Scott JR wasted no time in making arrangements for the trip. Five nights in Paris at the George V Hotel followed by five in London at Claridges. Only the best for Sue-Ellen he thought as he booked first class return flights and the hotels. He was excited to be spending time with Sue-Ellen away from home. The romance of Europe was somewhat lost on him but that was irrelevant. The aim was to keep Sue-Ellen happy. She was going to be the mother of their child and JR wanted her to feel very much loved and valued.

Just prior to the trip an unexpected opportunity for JR's plan to bring Bobby down a peg or two arose. "Mr. and Mrs. Kay are coming for dinner this evening" Miss Ellie announced over breakfast. "I want you all present and correct by 6pm at the latest please." JR and Sue-Ellen nodded politely. Bobby felt his stomach lurch. He had been trying to cool things off with Grace by not returning all of her calls any more. When he did speak to her on the phone he kept things light and jovial and avoided any subject that might lead to a discussion concerning the future. Bobby had resolved to break it off with Grace face to face and as kindly as possible when she came home for Thanksgiving in just a few weeks time. Seeing her parents over dinner and pretending that everything between him and their daughter was alright would be awkward to say the least.

Grace was far from stupid. She realised that things were not exactly the same as they had been before Bobby had come out to see her. She blamed the pressure of the long-distance relationship. How could matters progress when they hardly saw each other? she pondered. She was thinking of seeing her personal tutor after Thanksgiving to discuss a transfer of her studies more locally to home. There were good law schools in Texas and the plain fact of the matter was that she wanted Bobby more than graduation from prestigious Harvard. This is my life, my future, she mused. If he meets someone else while I am stuck here I would never forgive myself.

Life for JR and Bobby at Ewing Oil was, as ever, busy. They were looking to the future. It was all well and good increasing their ownership of the oil fields of Texas but without a refinery they would never become major players in the oil business like Weststar, JR had proposed to his father. "JR is right" Jock told his sons over lunch in the office. "If we are going to compete with the big boys then we need to be producing and selling our own oil and gasoline."

Jock had always been an empire builder. He wanted the business to grow for his sons and their sons. Sue-Ellen was just a few months away from giving birth to his first grandson. Given the way that Sue-Ellen was coping with the pregnancy, a fact that had earned her a lot more respect in his eyes, it was likely that further children would follow this one. Jock was staring right in the face of the future and he was determined to ensure that his legacy to the family was a great one.

At six o'clock precisely the whole family was gathered in the living room waiting for their dinner guests. Miss Ellie had gone to great trouble to make sure that the menu she had devised with Teresa would demonstrate to the Kays her consummate talent for hospitality. JR and Sue-Ellen were describing the itinerary for their forthcoming trip when the Kays were shown in by Raoul. "Good evening John and Sandy!" Jock exclaimed "what can I get you to drink?" "I'll have whatever you are having Jock" John replied amiably. "White wine for me thank you" Sandy said as she sat down to chat to Miss Ellie.

Dinner was a thoroughly convivial affair. The conversation turned to the Kays' plans for retirement. "Stephen isn't interested. He would rather lead the playboy lifestyle than run the show and Grace's heart is set on being an attorney" John remarked. "Are you and Miss Ellie not thinking of slowing down a little?" "Not just yet, John. Strictly between us we want to acquire a refinery or a suitable plot of land to build one" Jock remarked.

John paused for a moment to think. "Do you know what? I think we have a plot that would suit you down to the ground. It's close by to the fields that we sold you in the summer." "Can we come and see it please?" JR replied excitedly. "Sure, if you need your surveyor to come down that's fine too." Bobby shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The last thing that he wanted right now was to start doing business with Grace's father again. "Would we not be better off buying an already functioning refinery though?" he suggested, attempting to put John's proposal on the back burner. "Hell no, Bobby, a purpose built Ewing Oil refinery would add clout and prestige to the company" his father replied. "You're on! When JR gets back we will make the arrangements to come over."

JR noticed Bobby's awkwardness. During dinner he had also noted how any mention of Grace, her studies or her return home for Thanksgiving appeared to make him uneasy.

As JR and Sue-Ellen got ready for bed Sue-Ellen remarked on the success of the dinner. "They are a really nice couple and their daughter has real designs on Bobby" Sue-Ellen commented "Miss Ellie told me that Sandy had confided in her that Grace is hoping for a proposal at Thanksgiving. How nice would that be?" she asked innocently. JR took Sue-Ellen in his arms and kissed her. "Real nice darlin" JR grinned evilly "now get into bed. I have designs on you."

After half an hour of immense pleasure with his wife JR lay back in bed. A plan was being hatched.

TBC


	12. Chapter 13

JR's and Sue-Ellen's trip to Europe was a total success. They saw the main sights of both Paris and London but combined this with lots of rest, lovely meals and a whole lot of love. They returned to Southfork with gifts for the whole family. Sue-Ellen had bought lots of lovely things for Lucy with which the young girl was thrilled. She wanted Lucy to feel cared for and valued as they all excitedly awaited the birth of the baby. JR hadn't been keen on Lucy being the recipient of such generosity given her behaviour but he didn't want to upset his wife by explaining the reason why.

Sue-Ellen also came back with a gift- a dazzling diamond eternity ring bought in Hatton Garden, London. The past few months have been like a dream, she thought as she admired the sparkler. JR could not have been more attentive and loving if he had tried. She couldn't wait for them to be a little family. The baby would complete their lives and give them a common purpose- to be good parents to their son or daughter. Son or daughter, she mused. Jock was convinced that she would have a boy. Deep down she knew that JR was hoping that his first-born would be a boy. What if the baby is a girl? She worried but not because she personally would be disappointed with a girl. In fact, the idea of a daughter was very attractive to her. Sue-Ellen would not make the mistakes with her daughter that her mother had so grossly and obviously made with her. My little girl will be loved and praised and allowed to be whatever she wanted to be, she thought. Plus, she wanted more than one child with JR. There would be plenty of time for a little boy to come along if this baby is a girl, she assured herself.

JR had enjoyed his holiday with Sue-Ellen immensely. However, he returned to find, much to his disappointment, that the plan of revenge that he had been hatching since the Ewings hosted Mr. and Mrs. Kay to dinner had suffered a set-back. While JR was away Bobby had worked very hard to persuade his father that a purpose-built refinery was not the way to go. Bobby had spent days scouting suitable refineries and testing the water about the prospects of agreeing a sale to Ewing Oil. At last, he found one that was not only suitable but was about to be offered for sale.

Bobby felt bad about throwing all of his efforts into avoiding another business deal with Grace's father. However, he only too readily appreciated how mortifying it would be to Jock and Miss Ellie if he had to finish with Grace simultaneously.

The effort that Bobby had gone to confirmed for JR that Grace's hopes for a proposal by his little brother at the imminent Thanksgiving holiday lacked any solid foundation. He wants to get rid of her, JR mused. What fun it would be to place him in the very position that he is so desperate to avoid and what embarrassment would be caused to their daddy at the same time, he pondered.

JR was resolved. He would make sure that the Kay deal was back on and he knew just the way to do it. The next evening after everyone had left the office for the day JR remained behind. He went into Bobby's office and began to scour through his desk drawers searching for details of the refinery that was about to come up for sale. Eventually he found what he wanted. The refinery belonged to James Collins a notorious ladies' man, even though he liked to maintain the semblance of a long and happy marriage, not least to avoid having to pay his wife of many years what she would surely be awarded by a divorce court. Thank goodness I made it my business to dig the dirt on Old Man Collins all that time ago, JR smirked to himself.

Now he needed a lady to help him. It couldn't be just any woman. It had to be somebody JR could trust implicitly, someone who would never reveal what was planned. There was only one woman that fitted the bill- Julie. Their shared history would assure her secrecy but what about her co-operation?

JR knew that Julie had been very disappointed that he had not resumed his affair with her, particularly after Sue-Ellen had fallen pregnant. Julie had imagined that Sue-Ellen would go off sex with JR whilst she was carrying his baby. However, the converse was true once she had ridden out her initial chronic morning sickness. Before that JR had been so consumed with worry for his wife and unborn child that this had served to quell his normal carnal interests. He had firmly rebuffed Julie's obvious attempts to get him interested in her again and Julie, at least temporarily, admitted defeat.

The following day Julie sashayed into the office. She politely greeted her boss and set about her work. "Julie? Please come into the office. I need you for something" JR told her over the intercom. "Yes JR" Julie replied picking up her dictation pad and pencil. "How are things?" JR tried to keep his tone light. "Just fine, thank you" Julie replied somewhat sulkily. This is going to be harder than I imagined, JR thought. "I'm gonna take a short trip to look at a refinery and I thought that you could come with me." Julie perked up much to JR's relief. "Sure JR" she smiled. Are we back on again? she wondered. "I need you to do something for me while we are there, honey. If you do, you will be well rewarded." "Oh yeah?" Julie asked. Her boss's rather cryptic way with words had always been a source of slight irritation to his secretary. "Let's say that you will be given a staff bonus, a real generous one."

JR's intention was to reward Julie financially. Nothing more. However, the young woman misinterpreted his words. "You know I'd do pretty much anything for you, JR" she responded, playing flirtatiously with the second button of her blouse. JR noticed this but decided to play it cool. "I will let you know the arrangements very soon. Thank you. That's all Julie." "Thank you, JR."

JR smiled deviously. The next stage of his plan needed to be executed straight away. He knocked on his father's door. "Hey, daddy have you told John Kay that you don't want his land for the refinery any more?" JR enquired. "Not yet JR. It can wait until after Thanksgiving. Don't want to spoil Bobby's weekend with Grace" the old man replied. "Very wise" JR smirked. "In fact, I was thinking and wouldn't it be nice for the two families to do something together over the break? Dinner perhaps?"

"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll speak to your mother this evening."

Stage two of the plan was complete.

TBC


	13. Chapter 14

One of JR Ewing's strongest character traits was the desire to be victor and all too often he failed to estimate the cost of his future actions to others, even the people that he loved. He did love Sue-Ellen deeply and being a married man had become surprisingly pleasurable especially after they had begun to understand the physical attraction and connection between them. The impending birth of their first child would make it all complete. He had done well in finally choosing to marry and settle down with his beautiful ex-beauty queen.

The one thing that had always been missing from JR's life, however, was the kind of relationship that he yearned for with his father, the sort enjoyed by his youngest brother. JR had felt this painfully and keenly as a child but even now as a grown man in his thirties and about to be a father himself. If ever an opportunity presented itself to gain one-upmanship over Bobby JR grasped it with both hands. Although he fully accepted that nothing had gone on between Bobby and Sue-Ellen JR still felt somewat humiliated, emasculated even, by the debacle that arose in the wake of Lucy's drunken performance at the Ewing barbeque. JR was aware that Bobby was more conventionally handsome than him. Bobby's looks were an immediate attraction to girls whereas JR had to employ his wit and charm, sometimes his wealth, to get what he wanted from the opposite sex.

For a while JR had thought that Sue-Ellen only wanted him for his wealth and position but over time he realised that the shy, young college girl he was dating loved him for who he was and not what he had. However, he remained troubled by the idea that, possibly, in the eyes of many people Sue-Ellen and Bobby were physically a much more suitable couple. If Lucy had not retracted her allegation how easily would his parents have chosen to believe that Sue-Ellen and Bobby had indeed fallen for each other? He wondered. JR loved his younger brother but the reality was that he was jealous of him and accordingly beating Bobby, in the only way he knew how, was bordering on obsession.

Stage two of JR's plan was almost complete. Arrangements had been made by Miss Ellie and Sandy Kay that the Kay family would visit the Ewings for lunch on the Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend. Not wanting to embarrass his parents Bobby had resolved to give Grace the bad news about their relationship after this social engagement and just before her return to Boston. His stomach lurched every time he thought about it. Grace's calls remained a frequent event and those that Bobby felt obliged to take served only to confirm that nothing had dampened her ardour. "God, Bobby, I am so horny it's untrue!" she had gushed during a recent phone call. "You are going to be one busy boy when I get home for the weekend" she giggled. Bobby quickly and adeptly changed the subject to Grace's studies. "I'm getting good grades" she said "but Harvard isn't all that it's cracked up to be" hinting that her qualifying as an attorney might take a different path.

JR's announcement that he was to take a 24 hour trip to look at the Collins refinery did not go down well with Sue-Ellen. She hated him being away particularly now that she was pregnant. Sue-Ellen felt safe and cared for when she was with her husband. Worries about issues like whether the baby was active enough or getting appropriate nutrition from her were dispelled much more easily when she had JR to talk to. "Come here darlin" JR said soothingly as he realised that she was upset. He held out his arms and Sue-Ellen quickly rushed into them. "I'll be back before you know it. I'll call you while I'm there and as it's not that far away if anything were to happen I can be home very quickly."

"Is anyone else going with you?" she enquired, meaning Jock or Bobby. "No, it's a solo trip" JR lied "I want to see the place for myself before a decision is taken whether Ewing Oil makes an offer. Of course, I will have to entertain James Collins, the owner, and that's why I can't do it all in the one day." JR kissed his wife and began to slip the straps of her nightgown from her shoulders. There was no better way to distract his wife these days than to show her how much he still desired her. Sue-Ellen melted as JR gently pushed her down onto the bed kissing her and fondling her attractively full, bare breasts. As they joined together all JR could think of, at least in that moment, was his wife.

Across town Julie Grey was sorting through her wardrobe. She wanted to look extra sexy for JR when they went away. Whatever he had meant when he referred to a staff bonus she was determined that the bonus would involve, at least in part, her going to bed with JR.

TBC


	14. Chapter 15

"Now you take care of yourself and our little one, darlin" JR tenderly kissed Sue-Ellen and patted her bump. "I'll keep in touch and I'll see you mid-morning tomorrow." "Have a safe trip" Sue-Ellen replied sadly. As JR drove to the airport where he and Julie would board the Ewing helicopter he thought about the execution of this part of his plan. It had involved not only Julie but an associate of Harry McSween whom JR had been assured was the consummate professional when it came to the "service" that he offered.

Hiring Harry's contact had been relatively easy. Persuading Julie to do her bit had been harder. "You won't have to go through with it, sugar, trust me. The people who will be helping us have it all figured out. It all just has to look a certain way and it will be over before you know it" he assured her. "I don't know JR. I'm not some cheap slut you know. Why can't you use one of the working girls that you've done business with?" Julie was playing with him to ensure his gratitude to her when it was all over and done with. "I can't, Julie. Let's say that Old Man Collins is very well acquainted with many of the high class escorts in Texas. I couldn't risk him recognising one of them and working it out" he replied.

Julie was waiting for JR at the airport. She had been under strict instruction to tell nobody at Ewing Oil that she was accompanying JR on his trip to look at the refinery. Accordingly, she had called in sick that morning using her best acting skills to convince the receptionist that she felt rotten. Julie had made extra effort to look sexy. It wasn't just part of the plan for her to look that way. She intended on making JR's head turn also. JR might have remained faithful to his wife but this did not stop him admiring the female form. Wow, she looks great, he thought as he got out of his car.

Julie's attractions were somewhat obvious. Dark red hair worn long and gently curled, a pretty but not beautiful face and a knockout body. Tits to die for, JR had often thought during their many trysts. She was just James Collins' type. JR and Julie boarded the helicopter. As they buckled up she stroked JR's inner thigh. JR abruptly removed her hand and gave her a warning look. It will be different later, she thought, as she smiled cheekily at her boss.

The flight was a short and smooth one. James Collins was awaiting their arrival. JR exited first followed by Julie. As Collins shook JR's hand warmly it was obvious he couldn't take his eyes off the female companion. "Who's your friend JR?" "Julie's my secretary, James." "Hoping for a little fun later?" the man asked lasciviously. "Oh no, since I got married I'm a one man woman these days. Plus, didn't my daddy or Bobby tell you? We're expecting a baby!"

This was just the answer that the older man was hoping for. With JR out of picture he might be in for some fun tonight. As they toured the refinery Julie got on with the task in hand. She flirted subtly with Collins making sure that now and again he would get an eyeful of her cleavage or thigh through the slit in her pencil skirt. Collins was positively salivating and JR knew it. After a simple lunch taken in Collins' office the issue of the sale of the refinery came to be discussed. JR wanted it to appear that Ewing Oil was definitely interested in doing business. As they talked matters through Julie kept up her efforts to attract the older man. She crossed and uncrossed her legs and at one point she "dropped" her pencil on the office floor. As she bent down to retrieve it she gave Collins a decent look down the front of her blouse. She had a low cut, lacy red bra on which pushed up and accentuated her finest physical attributes. Collins was knocked out. "So, where was I, JR?" he commented distractedly. "The likely price and terms for payment" JR replied innocently. The plan was working perfectly. Julie sure had her uses JR thought wickedly to himself.

As the discussions came to a natural end JR made the next move. "Say, Julie and I are booked into the Rosehill Hotel for tonight. I understand that the food there is very good. Do you and Mrs. Collins want to join us" JR asked disingenuously. "Why thank you, JR, but my good lady wife told me this morning that she has to attend some function for a charity that she is involved in tonight" Collins lied. "Well then why don't you just join us then?" JR asked. "I'd be just delighted!" "See you at seven?" "You sure will. And by the way the food is very good over there." The two men shook hands and then Collins turned to Julie. He took her hand, ostensibly to shake it, but he lingered in a way that made Julie's flesh crawl.

"What a creep" she observed to JR as they took the car to the hotel. "We're nearly there honey. Your part in this will soon be over" JR re-assured her. "We have a couple of hours to kill. Want some fun?" Julie offered. "Hell no, sugar, I need to call my wife and then put my feet up for a little while" JR retorted somewhat cruelly. He was here just for business. His days of fun with the secretary were well and truly over. Julie was stung by the curt rebuffal of her advances. It may be different later when I have finished helping him she tried to re-assure herself.

"We want ground floor suites overlooking the gardens, please" JR said as they checked in. "Adjoining, sir?" the hotel receptionist enquired discreetly. He had seen this all too often before. "No, that won't be necessary, thank you." JR was intent on maintaining everything as above board as possible. When JR got into his suite he wasted no time in calling Sue-Ellen. His wife was obviously very pleased to hear from him. They chatted about his day and her day and her health which fortunately remained good. "I'm missing you JR, so much" she cooed. "Me too darlin. Tell you what, tomorrow morning when I get home you can show me just how happy you are to have me back. In that very special way that you do" he cheekily replied. Sue-Ellen giggled. After several more affectionate exchanges JR rang off. He was indeed looking forward to seeing his wife again. The thought made him feel happy.

Dinner went swimmingly well. Julie was wearing a black fitted dress that she had bought with money that JR had given her. It accentuated her figure perfectly. Collins could not take his eyes off her. Her flirting was subtle yet obvious. Would he get what he wanted this evening? When the meal was over JR yawned exaggeratedly. "I'm sorry but I'm bushed. Say Julie, why don't you keep James company for a little longer? I have to retire I'm afraid. Put everything on my tab." Collins was not going to try to persuade JR to stay up. Three was definitely a crowd as far as he was concerned. He stood up, shook JR's hand and thanked him. "I'm sure my daddy will be in touch" JR said as he bade them goodnight.

Julie was uncomfortable but she had to see this through if she were ever going to be able to seduce JR later. While she plyed Collins with more alcohol she discreetly stopped her intake and stuck to water. She needed to keep a clear head. When the old man was extremely merry she leaned across the table and whispered "You're a very attractive man. I've got a lovely suite, room 111, where we could get to know each other better, in private." Collins didn't need to be asked twice. Julie signed the cheque and went ahead of the man. He left it five agonising minutes before joining her. He was delighted to see that she had removed the dress and was now wearing just a flimsy robe. Julie's stomach was in knots. She poured the man a glass of whisky from the bar and pushed him down into a sitting position on the bed. Standing over him she removed the robe to reveal the sexy red bra and panties set that she had on underneath. "Now where were we?" she said seductively. Collins was beside himself. He put his hands around Julie's waist. Oh God, Julie thought, where are they?

As Collins made to pull Julie towards him the door to the veranda burst open. "Julie, you conniving bitch" the man who entered the room shouted loudly. "She's my fiancee. Who the hell are you?" "Have you followed me here?" Julie protested. "Damn right I have! I knew you were up to something". Collins went to get up but the man pushed him back down onto the bed. Julie fell ostentatiously on top of him. As chaos reigned, unbeknown to Collins, a photographer stood at the veranda door. The angle of the photographs that he was taking made the situation look extremely compromising. Once the photographer had worked on them further they would look worse still by morning.

TBC


	15. Chapter 16

After the charade was over and Collins had been permitted to get away Julie knocked on JR's door. "All done! You will have the photos by 7am" she announced triumphantly. JR already knew how it had gone. The "fixer" had called him straight afterwards as instructed. JR took nothing by chance. JR let Julie in. "And here's your bonus, honey" he said handing her a thick envelope. She briefly looked at the contents. It was a lot of money. "Now you are going to take a little vacation. I hear that the Caribbean is very nice at this time of year." JR needed her out of the way at least until after Thanksgiving. The money that he had given Julie was a small fortune for someone on her salary. Julie looked disappointedly. "Well I suppose I could do with a break. I could take my sister." "Excellent idea." JR smiled.

Julie let her robe fall to the floor. She was very attractive and JR's excitement at the successful execution of his plan was intoxicating. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. "Oh God, JR, I want you so badly" Julie panted. JR's hands were by this time all over her body. As he fumbled with her bra strap an image intruded suddenly into his lust for the woman- Sue-Ellen, his wife and the mother of his unborn child. The image had an almost immediate effect on his state of arousal. He pushed Julie away from him. "No, no! I can't do this with you honey. It simply isn't right." Julie looked crestfallen as JR handed her her robe. "I'm sorry Julie, it was my fault not yours" JR attempted to be kind. Julie was close to tears. She had done everything he had wanted with that reptile Collins and he was now rejecting her in favour of his oh so perfect wife. Thinking tactically, JR did not want Julie to go straight back to her room where no doubt she would stew over his humiliation of her. He had to keep her on side, at least for the time being.

"Put your robe on and I'll make us a drink." Julie shook her head. "Come on honey. There are things I ought to say to you." Julie obeyed her boss and sat down pulling her robe over her. Why did she always give in to him? she thought sadly. The truth was she was lonely and very much missed the attention that he had given her. He had a way with him that she was unable to resist. Was it love? Perhaps it was more to do with the manner in which he had rejected her for Sue-Ellen, the perfect beauty queen with her refined ways. Julie was a proud woman and her pride had been considerably dented when JR married Sue-Ellen. The sight of Sue-Ellen gliding up the aisle in her couture wedding dress and JR's delighted expression had been almost too much to bear. Julie had dealt with her feelings that day by becoming hopelessly drunk on the Ewings' champagne. The other secretaries had helped her home and on the Monday Jock gave her a dressing down about her behaviour in the presence of the other guests.

JR handed her a large measure of bourbon and sat down next to her. He patted her knee as she took a large gulp. "I'm sorry things didn't work out between us honey" he murmured softly. "Your loyalty and friendship mean a real lot though and I am grateful, truly." Julie nodded as she took a few more sips. God JR, you are so arrogant and insincere, she thought. What if I give you a little parting gift?

She finished her drink and stood up. "Better now?" JR enquired solicitously. "Yes thanks, JR, I'll say goodnight then." Julie leaned over and gave JR a chaste kiss on the cheek. As she did so she surreptitiously smeared her lipstick onto the side of JR's shirt collar. Knowing him as she did he would take the shirt off and toss it into his case without even looking at it. As she got into bed Julie prayed that Sue-Ellen, ever the perfect wife, would deal with JR's dirty laundry and find the evidence of his "adultery".

Dealing with Old Man Collins at 8am the following morning had been a breeze. Collins was seething but he could see the sense in telling Jock, as JR wanted, that he was having second thoughts about offering the refinery for sale. "Co-operate with this and you will get the photographs and all the negatives, I promise." JR said menacingly."And you never know, you might get to sell this place to the Ewings in the near future. Have a nice day!" JR waved his stetson at the man cheerfully. Collins wanted to kill him.

The helicopter ride back was undertaken in virtual silence. Julie was angry but, more than that, hurt. She needed to get away for a couple of weeks. As soon as she got home she would contact her sister, then a travel agent and finally square the issue of her "personal leave" from work with her colleagues.

Sue-Ellen ran down the stairs to greet her husband, the familiar sound of his car engine signalling his return. "Careful darlin!" JR cautioned as he swept his wife up in his arms and kissed her. JR exchanged pleasantries with his mother and planted the seed that the sale of the refinery to Ewing Oil was almost assured. Then he and Sue-Ellen went up to their bedroom. JR was feeling lustful, a common occurrence when he was feeling pleased with himself. He virtually ripped his wife's clothes off but then realised the need to be more gentle as he carried her to the bed. Sue-Ellen wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. As she was getting bigger lovemaking was most comfortable in the "spoons" position. As he entered her JR kissed the back of her neck and shoulders taking in the smell of her skin and hair. She always smells so good, he thought appreciatively.

When they were done JR cuddled up to Sue-Ellen and both of them fell asleep. Their night apart hadn't been particularly restful. The truth was that they had genuinely missed each other and the comfort that each other's presence in bed brought had been badly missed.

An hour later and JR got up. He would have to go into the office to report back to his daddy and deal with the authorisation of Julie's leave. The temptation to stay with his wife had, however, been difficult to resist. "Let's go for dinner tonight, sugar, just the two of us. You book somewhere real nice." JR left Sue-Ellen in a happy and very contented mood. As she got dressed she spotted his suitcase. It would need unpacking and his dirty laundry dealing with, she thought. She would do that next.

TBC

 **Author's note: no chapter tomorrow, sorry. Lots of work to do :(**


	16. Chapter 17

Sue-Ellen had a meticulous approach to life and she applied this to the support that she gave to her husband. Small but significant acts, like sorting out his laundry, came naturally to her. She took JR's suitcase and placed it on the bed. She removed JR's toiletry bag and put it in the bathroom where it was normally kept. She then turned to what she appreciated would be dirty items of clothing that she intended to place in the laundry hamper for Teresa to attend to.

Sue-Ellen wouldn't have noticed the smear of red lipstick on the side of the collar of the shirt if it hadn't been for the way that the garment smelt. Her keen sense of smell immediately alerted her to a trace of scent that she did not recognise as JR's cologne. It was a strong, heady fragrance that was way more obvious than the subtle, French perfume that she used. It was definitely a woman's fragrance. Sue-Ellen then examined the shirt more carefully. Her stomach churned upon the discovery of the lipstick stain and at the same time she felt her baby move. It was as if the baby had sensed his or her mother's distress.

She sat down on the bed still clutching JR's shirt. She had no idea what to do. When she first started dating JR she was very much aware of his reputation as a ladies man and she knew only too well how much he enjoyed sex. During their courtship she had deliberately held out on him taking the calculated gamble that this would force him to propose. There had been a couple of occasions during that time when JR had gone off radar temporarily but he had an explanation and appeared devoted to her and therefore she had dismissed any thoughts that he might have been with another woman from her mind.

This time though there was evidence of him having had some form of contact with another woman whilst away on a very short business trip. God, she thought, could he not keep it in his pants for 24 hours? She looked down at her bump. Perhaps he wasn't as attracted to her now that she was getting bigger. She remembered an article that she had read in a magazine about the way that pregnancy and childbirth could affect men's perceptions of their wives. But JR had not lost interest in her, she pondered. He remained as passionate and sexual with her as ever despite them having to make obvious alterations to the way that they went about it as the baby grew in size. Only an hour or two ago he had enjoyed making love to her. He had also told her he loved her. Could he really behave that way having come straight from another woman's bed?

Sue-Ellen knew that JR had a devious side to him. She was also well aware of how ruthless he could be. Whilst for the most part he treated her with immense kindness and affection there had been times when he had been cruel to her. The day before she had found out she was pregnant, when he had almost forced himself on her, was a case in point.

She had nobody to turn to. If she phoned her mother she would no doubt be accused by her of failing to meet her husband's needs. In some way she was sure that her mother would turn this round as her fault. If she confided in Miss Ellie she would be likely to confront JR and this would only engender trouble and anger on his part for involving his parents. She would have to deal with this herself, she resolved, no matter that she was young and inexperienced in life matters such as this.

Sue-Ellen carefully folded the shirt and put it in her drawer. She might need the evidence for later. She then lay on the bed and dissolved into quiet tears. She loved JR so much. How could he betray her trust in such a way?

Meanwhile JR was feeling very pleased with himself at the office. He had assured Jock and Bobby of his support for the purchase of the Collins refinery as and when it was offered for sale and had authorised Julie's leave for "personal, family reasons." He had also needled Bobby further about the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday and Grace's return to Texas. That boy wears his heart on his sleeve, he thought. It was obvious that Bobby was not invested in the relationship with Grace and was looking for a way out. He will have to take it at the worst possible time, JR smiled to himself.

When JR returned home he expected to be greeted warmly by his lovely young wife. He was looking forward to taking her out that evening. Her by now obvious pregnancy was a sign of his virility and he was very proud for the rich and powerful of Dallas to see that for themselves. As he entered the bedroom he was pleased to see Sue-Ellen was ready for their night out. She was wearing a loosely cut black cocktail dress that flattered her pregnant figure and showed off her long, slender legs. He went to kiss her but she accepted the most minor of "pecks" which left him feeling confused. "Honey, are you alright?" he asked. "Yes JR thank you. I'm perfectly fine" she responded picking up her bag in readiness to leave. The truth was that Sue-Ellen still had no idea of how or when to tackle JR about his apparent infidelity. For the rest of the evening she was determined to go through with a semblance of normality. She would make polite conversation over dinner not revealing her inner turmoil for anyone, not least JR, to see.

TBC


	17. Chapter 18

JR was feeling mighty pleased with himself as he drove into town with Sue-Ellen. His plan for revenge against Bobby was going smoothly and without interruption and he was in love with his beautiful wife who, very soon, would bring his son into the world. He glanced at Sue-Ellen who was sitting quietly in the passenger seat. When he married her she was a shy virgin and, at first, he had worried about their physical compatibility. However, as they had settled down into married life he had been thrilled to discover that they shared a true physical chemistry. Sue-Ellen was a sensual woman with a passionate desire for him and she was learning all the time of new ways to please him sexually. Her pregnancy had not diminished his desire for her either. He loved the way that her body was filling out ever so slightly in all the right places. He adored patting her fuller bottom and fondling her increasingly engorged breasts. She looked gorgeous tonight and he couldn't wait to show her off at the Oil Barons' Club.

His mind wandered briefly to his near miss with Julie the previous night. JR felt ashamed that it had got to the point that it had. Sex with Julie had always been fun and satisfying but it hardly compared to what he had with Sue-Ellen. He resolved to place any future temptation as far out of his reach as possible. Julie would be moved into the accounts department as soon as she returned from her holiday and he would recruit a much older secretary to take her place.

Sue-Ellen's thoughts had a totally different character from her husband's. Sadness and confusion had given way to growing, latent anger. Whilst she had been brought up never to betray extreme emotion in public there had been times in Sue-Ellen's life when she had been pushed too far and her anger had risen explosively to the surface. The last such time had been when JR had harangued her over her alleged infidelity with Bobby and she had slapped him hard across the face. She wanted to do so again especially when he had the temerity to stroke her thigh as he was driving. She didn't want him anywhere near her at the moment. She removed his hand abruptly. "Watch the road, my love" she advised him sarcastically. However, JR was riding the crest of an arrogant wave and he did not notice his wife's tone of voice.

JR enjoyed the night at the Oil Barons' Club enormously. As usual it was full of people he knew. He shook hands and chatted with numerous business associates as they first entered the bar. Every time somebody came to their table to congratulate him and Sue-Ellen on the imminent arrival of their "little one" JR responded with happiness and obvious pride.

Sue-Ellen saw the evening through even though her mind was in turmoil. Her mother's training enabled her to maintain the facade that she was just as happy as her husband though. At no point did she speak out of turn. She smiled and exchanged polite pleasantries as she had grown so accustomed to doing when she was out with her husband. This was hers and JR's private business and there was no way that any confrontation would be played out in public.

JR drank quite a lot of bourbon that evening and was very merry as Sue-Ellen got into the driver's seat of his Mercedes to take them home. He leaned in to kiss her but in his drunken state it was more of a clumsy lunge and she was easily able to turn her face so that his lips met her cheek rather than her mouth. Sue-Ellen knew that when JR had too much to drink he often became amorous. Those were the exact circumstances in which she believed that she had fallen pregnant to him. As she drove home she resolved that he would not have his way with her that night or, indeed, any time soon. If she was ever going to forgive him for what was undoubtedly some level of unfaithfulness to her the previous night she was determined that she would teach him a lesson first.

As they drove home she allowed JR to do all the talking. He spoke of his pride and excitement at the thought of them having a baby in just a few months time. He also, drunkenly, expressed his deep love for her and told her how much he had missed her on his short trip to the Collins refinery. Sue-Ellen could feel the bile rising but instead put on a very fake smile and nodded pleasantly in agreement.

When they arrived home they said goodnight to Jock and Miss Ellie who were sitting in the kitchen having their usual bedtime hot drink. JR put his hand around Sue-Ellen's waist as they climbed the stairs. He let his hand fall to her buttocks briefly and murmured something imperceptible but almost certainly lustful. Oh JR, you're not getting it tonight, Sue-Ellen thought as she planned her next move.

They entered the bedroom and JR closed the door. Almost instantaneously he pulled Sue-Ellen into his arms and began kissing her deeply. Sue-Ellen responded at first. Her husband had a powerful effect on her and she was tempted to let him go further. Suddenly, she came to her senses. As JR began to kiss her neck and face Sue-Ellen whispered to him "what do you want me to do with you darling? Tell me what you want and you can have it." JR growled lasciviously. His hands were all over her body by now. They moved to the bed. JR lay down on his back and Sue-Ellen leaned over him allowing him to whisper into her ear. "Is that what you want JR?" Sue-Ellen said seductively. "Oh yeah sugar that's exactly what I want" he replied. Sue-Ellen suddenly stood up to full height. "Well you can go and get what you want from that slut that you went with last night!" she shouted.

Her words had an instantaneous sobering effect on JR. He sat up. "Darlin, now what's this all about? I haven't been near any woman since we've been together. You're the only one for me" he lied. Sue-Ellen went to her lingerie drawer and extracted the shirt. "So why did I find this? It's drenched in cheap perfume and it's got lipstick on it as well! Did Mr. Collins put that there?" she replied loudly and derisively.

JR's mood darkened. Damn, he thought, why was I not more careful? "Now honey" his tone was menacing. "You are going to have to keep your voice down. I'm not having my daddy and mama upset at this time of night. There is an explanation if you will just listen." He took hold of Sue-Ellen by the arms but she fought hard to break free from him. He was conscious of her pregnant state and therefore released her from his grasp. His mind was racing. What was he going to say that might placate her? He was distracted as he could see that she was on the verge of tears. He hated to see her that way not least when pregnant. "Oh this had better be a good one, JR, or else I am getting out of this ranch with your precious child" Sue-Ellen replied tearfully.

TBC


	18. Chapter 19

"Sue-Ellen, please honey, sit down. I hate to see you this way.I love you so much" JR was playing for time but his words were sincere. Sue-Ellen did as she was asked by taking a seat on the bed. She remained tearful and angry. JR sat down next to her but made no attempt at physical contact. "I should have told you but it was kinda embarrassing. Do you remember me telling you about Collins' wandering eye? Well I entertained him for dinner but he brought with him two, er, ladies might be not be the most apt description. I was in an awful position and felt I couldn't refuse to extend my hospitality to them. So I bought them dinner as well. One of the women made an obvious play for me. She tried to kiss me but I turned my face away and I presume that was how her lipstick ended up on my collar. Don't you think that if something more had happened I would have made sure that you were never to find that shirt?" he lied. Sue-Ellen stared at him and looked as if she meant to respond but JR interjected before she had the chance. "I swear on our baby's life I did not have sex with her, if that's what you are thinking. When I left the dinner table Old Man Collins was entertaining them by himself."

Sue-Ellen's expression demonstrated that she remained unconvinced. JR touched her face ever so softly, wiping away her tears. He couldn't help but feel a true sense of empathy for his lovely young wife. "The reality is, Sue-Ellen, that marriage to you has been the best thing that ever happened to me. For the first time in my life I feel loved, properly loved and I want to return that love by looking after you and the family that we are creating together. Things happen in business that are sometimes tawdry and unsavoury and I have to turn a blind eye but it doesn't mean that I agree with them or behave in the same way. The fact is, the truth is" he paused and took a deep breath "Sometimes I tell you that you are mine but in reality I am yours, Sue-Ellen, and I always will be. I cannot bear to live without you and our baby."

JR might have been telling calculated and cynical lies about the evening with Collins but he wasn't being untruthful now. He couldn't imagine life without Sue-Ellen and her carrying his child had only served to cement his feelings for her. "Please please believe me. I'm so sorry for allowing myself to be in that situation but I promise nothing happened. How could it? I have the most beautiful girl in Texas right here." His bright blue eyes shone with tears. He couldn't let her get away from him, not now.

Sue-Ellen had stopped crying by this point. She had never had such an outpouring of love from her husband before. Of course he had told her he loved her but this was usually when he was trying to get her to agree to make love with him or immediately after. She was struck by his sincerity. He appeared almost like a young boy again, confiding in her and seeking her affection. It was a vulnerable side of her husband that she had never seen before.

"Oh JR!" she cried. "I love you so much. You can't know how it felt when I thought that you might have been with another woman. I was afraid that my growing bigger had put you off me or that you had become bored." She kissed his lips gently and nuzzled her face into his neck. "You have never been more beautiful, darlin. I can't keep my hands off you" he reassured her hugging her tightly. Now was not the time for him to make a sexual move. He could tell that she was still fragile and he wanted them to make up properly. Sue-Ellen lifted her head and looked into JR's eyes. She then began to kiss him, gently at first but after a short while more passionately. They lay back on the bed. JR leaned over Sue-Ellen deepening the kiss whilst stroking her baby bump over her dress at the same time. "Tell me I'm forgiven" he coaxed. "You're forgiven" she replied dreamily as he kissed her once more. He wanted to take it further but he recognised that he had to go at his wife's pace in this instance.

Once they were ready for bed they contented themselves with kisses and caresses as they lay together in the dark. JR stroked his wife's face and hair tenderly and, in turn, Sue-Ellen nibbled JR's ear and whispered her love for him. She was the first to fall asleep. JR snuggled into her taking in her unique scent and stroking her tummy gently at the same time. God, he thought, I nearly lost both of them because of a cheap tramp like Julie. His thoughts about deploying Julie elsewhere in Ewing Oil upon her return became a firm intention.

The days that followed were busy for Jock, JR and Bobby as they put together the application for the loan to fund the anticipated acquisition of the Collins refinery. JR let Bobby do most of the work on it as he knew that it would all be in vain, at least temporarily. He kept busy doing minor deals to ensure that the cash flow of the business remained buoyant in the meantime.

Sue-Ellen remained in glowing health which pleased her husband and the family. Her energy levels were good and she was keen to help Miss Ellie make all the arrangements for the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Part of their planning involved the invitation to the Kay family on the following Saturday for lunch. "Do you think there might be a proposal Miss Ellie? Bobby has been a little quiet recently, not exactly forthcoming about him and Grace like he used to be when he first started seeing her" Sue-Ellen commented as she sat with her mother-in-law at the kitchen table. "I'm worried, Sue-Ellen" Miss Ellie confided. "It's not that Bobby has said anything in particular but mother's intuition tells me that all may not be well." Bobby had appeared distracted to his mother for the last couple of weeks. Miss Ellie had asked him if all was well and he had claimed that it was. However, as Sue-Ellen had noticed, he was becoming less and less conversational, particularly concerning his relationship with Grace. "I guess all will become clearer when she gets home from college" Sue-Ellen replied. She didn't like to think of her brother-in-law being unhappy. He deserved to have what she and JR had.

TBC


	19. Chapter 20

JR didn't show it but he had been shaken by the incident with his wife. He truly believed that she would have left Southfork had his quick thinking not kicked in and saved him. He decided, partly as reassurance to Sue-Ellen and partly because it suited his plan to humiliate Bobby, to spend more time at home. Jock was content with JR working from home. He remembered how protective he had felt of Miss Ellie during her pregnancies and how he had devoted more attention to family life and less to business at those times. JR was pandering to his young wife to ensure the safe and healthy arrival of his first grandson, he thought.

Sue-Ellen thoroughly enjoyed having more of her husband's company. When he wasn't working they would take walks together around the ranch, chatting about the future whilst they strolled along. JR tried hard to demonstrate to his wife how much he loved her. Small but significant shows of affection by him became the norm even in the presence of family members. Daddy might not approve, he thought, but I don't care. If this is what it takes to keep Sue-Ellen happy then so be it, he thought.

Meanwhile, amidst the hard work of formulating the loan application for the refinery and him having to learn at great speed what refinery ownership would entail Bobby's mind was in turmoil over Grace. Grace was sitting important exams in the run-up to Thanksgiving and so her calls to Bobby decreased in frequency whilst she studied. However, when they came it was clear that her ardour for him had in no way diminished. Bobby tried to be kind and lighthearted to her on the phone but his courtesy and friendliness was still being badly misinterpreted. When he was in the office he could instruct his secretary to say he was in a meeting thereby avoiding some of the young woman's calls, but at home it was far more difficult. He couldn't exactly ask his parents or Lucy, for example, to lie on his behalf by saying that he was not there.

Just a few days before the Thanksgiving break one such phone call came and this time it was Sue-Ellen who happened to answer it. After exchanging pleasantries with Grace Sue-Ellen set off to find Bobby who she was aware had arrived home just a few minutes earlier. She found him in the den. "Bobby, Grace is on the telephone for you" she informed him. The look on his face spoke volumes. "Do you want me to say that I can't find you, Bobby?" Sue-Ellen enquired. "Please Sue-Ellen" he implored her. After telling Grace very politely that she couldn't find Bobby but would pass on the message that she had called Sue-Ellen returned to her brother-in-law.

"Bobby what's wrong? Are there problems between you and Grace?" she asked. Bobby looked at his sister-in-law ashamedly. Sue-Ellen sat down next to him. "It's over as far as I'm concerned but it's a question of how I tell her. I don't love her and that won't change. She's a beautiful girl but she's not the one for me. Sadly, though, I think she believes that we have a future together" he confessed.

"Your mama and I suspected that something was up" Sue-Ellen told him. "Bobby, this is a very delicate situation. Mrs. Kay has told your mama that Grace is hoping for a proposal from you when she gets home." Sue-Ellen advised. "I can't do it over the phone. It would be so cruel to her. I've thought about writing her a letter but there's another factor and that is that she's undertaking her mid-term exams at the moment and I don't want to be responsible for her failing them. She has such a bright future ahead of her" Bobby replied. "I don't know what to say, Bobby, other than the sooner it's done the better. The poor girl needs to be put out of her misery." Sue-Ellen patted her brother-in-law's knee and left the room. She didn't know what to do but instinctively she felt it inappropriate to share what she knew with her husband. She would keep it to herself for a while and mull the problem over.

JR was in a very good mood as Sue-Ellen entered the bedroom to get ready for dinner. Whilst he knew nothing of the conversation that his wife had just had with his younger brother, JR was not one to miss Bobby's awkwardness whenever the subject of his relationship with Grace Kay was mentioned. Tonight, over dinner, he intended to have some fun. Sue-Ellen began to run the bath. JR came up behind her and kissed the back of her neck. "Shall we have a bath together, sugar?" he asked. "Well that would be lovely but look at the size of me!" Sue-Ellen giggled. "It's a big bath. You get in and I'll slip in behind you." Their bath together was immensely enjoyable. JR loved touching Sue-Ellen's skin and stroking her growing bump. It was a loving and bonding experience for him to wash her hair and her body for her. Sue-Ellen felt valued and cherished. It was experiences like this that helped her to forget what had happened after her husband had got back from his trip to the Collins refinery. JR was trying so hard, she thought to herself, as he helped her out of the bath and gently wrapped a towel around her.

With the family gathered for their usual pre-dinner drinks the conversation turned to Thanksgiving. Miss Ellie had the dinner all planned and, as ever, it would be a lavish feast. Jock and JR discussed the football whilst Lucy spoke excitedly to her grandmother and aunt about a party that one of her friends was throwing the evening after. "There won't be any alcohol Lucy?" Miss Ellie warned. "Oh no, grandma, and Cathy's parents will be in the house the whole time" Lucy replied innocently. JR stole a sly glance at his brother. Bobby was uncomfortable already even with the innocuous conversation that was taking place.

As they sat down for dinner JR decided to twist the knife a little further. "Say Bobby, I bet you are looking forward to seeing Grace again? When does she get back?" Bobby shifted nervously in his seat. Sue-Ellen glanced at him. She hoped he remained calm and collected at least until he had decided what to do. "She gets back on Wednesday, JR" he replied deflecting the reference to his feelings about seeing her. "And will you be meeting up straight away?" JR asked mischievously. "I don't know, JR. She may want to spend some time with her folks first." JR was aware that he was opening up a conversation that Bobby didn't want to have. "She's a fine young woman from a good upstanding family, Bobby. You should take a leaf out of your older brother's book and think about settling down" Jock, ever the empire builder, interjected. JR smiled wickedly. His daddy had fallen right into that trap. Sue-Ellen looked at Bobby with pity. "Yes sir" he replied meekly. This was torture. There was only his sister-in-law, a woman he had once had such strong feelings for, who understood.

TBC


	20. Chapter 21

Grace had worked extremely hard for her exams. She was determined to do well to make her parents proud of her. She also wanted to impress Bobby whom she was missing very much. Immediately after they were finished though she booked an appointment with her personal tutor, Ms. Jones, an inspirational and kind middle-aged woman who nurtured her students and brought out the very best in them.

"You see, and you might think I'm stupid, but I have fallen very hard for a man back home in Dallas. He works long hours in his family business and us managing a long-distance relationship is becoming impossible. I'm thinking about applying to transfer to SMU" she told the woman. Ms. Jones liked Grace. She was a good student, almost at the top of her class, with a sharp brain and pleasant personality. She was surprised by the young woman's apparent depth of feeling. "Grace, what can I say? You've fought hard to get here. We are the number one law school in the country and you want to throw it all away for a man? Sure, SMU is a good school but it's not in the same league as here. You've only got this year to finish. Is the relationship not strong enough to survive until next summer?" she asked.

Grace looked like she was about to burst into tears. Ms. Jones patted her hand "gosh you have got it bad haven't you? I always thought of you as the sort of girl who likes to work had and party even harder!" Grace smiled. "He's like nobody I've ever met before. He could get any girl he likes and I am just afraid that his head will be turned by someone else if I stay so far away from him." Ms. Jones reflected. Her first marriage had broken down when she was working as an attorney at a top Boston law firm. Her husband hadn't been able to stand her long hours and hectic travel schedule and had left her for another woman. She had been heartbroken at the time and when she met her second husband she swapped life as a partner of the firm for the kinder working conditions of academia to improve her chances of the marriage lasting.

Grace could have a very good future as a lawyer back in Texas. Perhaps getting the balance between work and personal life now may be better for her, she mused. "OK. Are you telling me that your mind is made up?" "Yes" Grace nodded. "I know the admissions tutor at SMU very well. I can give him a call if you want. There should be no trouble in you transferring over there. You will have to work hard though to accustom yourself to the different system that applies over there if you are going to pass the Texas State Bar next summer." Grace's face lit up. "Oh yes please Ms. Jones. You are the best! I promise that I will pass the Bar exams back home right on schedule!" Grace skipped out of her tutor's office. A massive weight had been taken off her mind.

She hadn't paused to consider how her parents might react to her decision. Grace had become used to getting her own way all her life to date. She began her packing for the Thanksgiving holiday and then realised that she would actually be packing to leave Harvard permanently. "I wish you wouldn't go" her best friend cried when Grace broke the news to her. "We'll keep in touch. I will miss you and all the others but I have to do this" Grace replied matter of factly.

Bobby was at home when the phone rang. Instinctively he knew who the caller was. He had avoided Grace for several days and decided this time to take the call. Discussions with Sue-Ellen conducted in private had convinced him to start laying down the groundwork for him ending of the relationship upon her return to Dallas. "She can't be left with the impression that all is going well between the two of you. It's cruel" Sue-Ellen advised. Bobby knew that she was right. His tendency to avoidant behaviour wasn't fair to the young woman.

"Hello" Bobby said as he picked up the phone. "Hello stranger! Where have you been these last few days? Making money for the company?" Grace replied. "I have been very busy Grace but more than that..." "I have a big surprise for you when I get home" Grace interrupted. "When will I see you? I'm due back at 6.30pm on Wednesday." "Thanksgiving is a family day, Grace." Bobby's tone was solemn. "I will see you some time on Friday. Have a safe flight." Bobby rang off before hearing Grace's reply "I love you Bobby."

Sue-Ellen passed her brother-in-law as he ended the call. "How did it go?" she whispered. "Not good, Sue-Ellen" Bobby replied. "She is very excited about the holiday and it was difficult to get a word in edge ways and, frankly, I'm sick of my daddy trying to run my life by suggesting I just settle for her. Oh sure, all that Kay money wouldn't do the Ewings any harm but it's my life and not a business merger that is under consideration here." Bobby offloaded weeks of anxiety on his sister-in-law who nodded sympathetically. "When I do get married I want what you and JR have although you are way too good for him and I wonder what you see in him at times." Sue-Ellen giggled. She was touched. Her life was really good and she felt lucky. "So, you have some breathing space til Friday and then you have to just do it" she advised patting his hand gently.

On Wednesday evening Grace arrived home. Never having been a light traveller her mother, Sandy, failed to notice that she had far more luggage than was necessary for a long weekend. Just before she had left for Logan Airport Grace had received a call from Ms. Jones. It was good news. She had been accepted at SMU with immediate effect. Her tutor had kindly wished her well and Grace repeated her immense gratitude for all that the woman had done for her. There, she thought, it's done and now it's just a question of when I tell my folks and Bobby.

As she started unpacking and whilst her mother was busy with dinner Grace decided to call Bobby. This time the character of the conversation was quite different. Bobby was polite but curt and insistent on getting his point across. Grace had worried when he told her that they needed to talk when they saw each other the day after tomorrow. She had been hoping that he would have booked a hotel room for them. She had missed sex with Bobby enormously and she had fantasised about a passionate and very physical reunion with him. She ate very little that evening and her lack of appetite was noted by her mother.

"Is there something the matter sweetheart?" Sandy asked. "It's just these last few days Bobby hasn't been terribly communicative" Grace replied. "Nothing has happened that I'm aware of to change things between us though. I'm a little confused." Sandy's response couldn't have been more unhelpful. "Oh, your father went all quiet just like that in the days before he proposed. I bet it's just nerves." Her mother's unwise remark immediately lifted Grace's spirits. That was the reason, she thought excitedly, and how happy will he be when I tell him I've come home!

TBC


	21. Chapter 22

Thanksgiving at Southfork was enjoyable for all the family except Bobby. He was dreading what was in store the following day. Sue-Ellen tried to be attentive to him whilst remaining discreet for fear of the rest of the family becoming aware of what was going on. JR, slyly and with a sense of satisfaction, observed his younger brother's discomfort. "I bet you are looking forward to seeing Grace again, Bob" he remarked over the dinner table. He loved to needle him. Sue-Ellen shot her husband a glance which told JR that she too was aware of the dilemma facing Bobby. He would get round her later to find out what she knew, JR mused. Bobby ignored JR, pretending not to hear him amidst the lively chatter of the rest of the family.

As they were getting ready for bed that night JR decided to broach the subject of Bobby's love-life with Sue-Ellen. "Come here darlin" he said holding his arms out to her "tell me what's going on with Bobby and Grace. I sense that all is not how it should be." Sue-Ellen hugged JR. In a way she was relieved to be able to share her worries for Bobby with her husband. "Oh JR, I didn't think you were so perceptive about such matters. He's going to finish with her tomorrow but he's worried about the hurt it will cause and the embarrassment to your mama and daddy regarding Mr. and Mrs. Kay" she replied. JR was surprised that his young wife had been acting as his brother's close confidante. This could be very useful in the future, he pondered. "If he doesn't love her then he has to end it. Put the poor girl out of her agony. Come on, get in bed with me. We're so lucky to have each other. I love you, sugar." JR was determined to keep Sue-Ellen on side by appearing to be sensitive to his brother's predicament.

Bobby picked Grace up from home at 11am sharp the following day. John and Sandy Kay were there to greet him and they couldn't have made their enthusiasm for their daughter's relationship more obvious. Bobby kept the encounter as short and amicable as possible. He was mortified when Grace came down the stairs. She was wearing a floral dress and knee high boots that flattered her figure perfectly, the colour of the dress bringing out the blue in her eyes. "Bobby!" she cried flinging herself into his arms. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you again!" "Come on honey, let's go" Bobby replied as calmly as he could. Inside he was shaking. "Have a lovely time!" Sandy called out to them as they got into Bobby's car. She was expecting a celebration when they returned and she already had the champagne on ice.

Bobby drove them to a pretty local park. "Let's have a walk, Grace. It's a lovely day" he suggested. Their conversation began with general topics. Grace asked about business and Bobby responded politely. Then Bobby asked about the young woman's studies. "I hope I aced the mid-terms" she said. "I worked really hard for them." Grace took a deep breath before going on "In fact, Bobby, they were the last exams I will ever take at Harvard. I'm coming home to study at SMU instead. Isn't that wonderful?" Grace hadn't told her parents about her switch of school yet. She had wanted Bobby to be the first to know.

Grace looked at Bobby. She was searching for a reaction which she foolishly expected to be one of happiness. Instead, Bobby's expression darkened. Grace was alarmed. "Why on earth have you done that?" Bobby was angry at having been placed in such a dreadful situation. "To be closer to you, what do you think?" Grace was shattered by her boyfriend's reaction. Her anger was also rising. How could he string her along like this?

Bobby gulped. He hadn't wanted to be unkind but now the stupid girl had given up her place at Harvard he decided that he just had to be straight with her. "Grace, I don't know what you think has been going on between us but for me it was just a bit of fun. It's going nowhere. Surely you could tell that from the way things have been between us recently?" The young woman dissolved into tears. This was a nightmare. "You are a bastard, Bobby Ewing!" she cried. Bobby attempted to take her hand to calm her down a little but Grace was having none of it. "Don't touch me! You used me for sex, that's all, and now I have thrown away everything I worked so hard for" she shrieked. "Just take me home. I never want to see you again!"

The drive back was horrendous for both of them. Grace sobbed constantly whilst Bobby remained silent. As they arrived outside her house Grace got out of the car, slammed the door shut and ran inside. Bobby was unsure what to do next. Should he just drive off or wait and try to ecplain what had happened to Grace's parents? Suddenly, the door opened and John Kay flew out. "Hey Ewing! I don't know what all this is about yet but I sure as hell know that my little girl is heartbroken in there. You can tell your folks that we won't be coming for lunch tomorrow and we won't be doing business with your family ever again!" he thundered. "I'm very sorry, sir" Bobby replied. "I truly am." John glared at him and returned inside.

When Bobby arrived home the next stage of what was turning out to be a total nightmare occurred to him. How was he going to tell his mama and daddy what had just happened? Fortunately, Jock was down at the cattle sheds talking to Ray, Miss Ellie was in the kitchen discussing tomorrow's lunch with Teresa, Lucy was playing music in her room with her friend, Muriel, and JR and Sue-Ellen were having a "lie down." Bobby had a clear thoroughfare upstairs. He took the stairs two at a time and shut himself inside his bedroom. God, what a mess, he thought. How am I ever going to be able to explain it?

Meanwhile, Grace was being calmed down by her mother and father. John remained angry whilst Sandy felt incredible upset at the palpable distress of her daughter whom she still considered her little girl. When, finally through the tears, Grace told them the whole tale Sandy and John Kay resolved to regard the whole Ewing clan as their enemies. How could Bobby Ewing do this to their little girl? they seethed. Galvanising himself to do the best that he could for his daughter John decided to call Ms. Jones at Harvard. Fortunately she had come in to mark some exam papers for a few hours before joining her husband for dinner in town and was therefore available to take the call.

The woman was instantly sympathetic to the plight of her former student. "Leave it with me, Mr. Kay. I'm sure that the University Board will be understanding and let Grace return. She's a good student and I can't see them not letting her return. Please tell Grace how sorry I am for her and I hope to see her back here very soon" she advised kindly.

Then John turned his attention to the Ewings. He rang Southfork just as Jock was making his way back to the house to get washed and tidied up for lunch. Raoul came out to tell him that Mr. Kay was on the phone. "Hey John!" Jock greeted him as he picked up the receiver "how are you?" "How am I? Don't you dare pretend not to know the reason I'm calling. Your youngest son has just broken off his relationship with my Grace in the cruellest of fashions and her future at Harvard is also at stake!" John shouted. Jock was shell-shocked. Miss Ellie joined him standing by his side where she was able to listen to John ranting. "John, I swear, Ellie and I knew nothing about this. We're as disappointed and shocked by Bobby's behaviour as you are. We are so so sorry" Jock countered. "Well, whatever, one thing is clear- it's not just their relationship that's over. Kay Holdings and Ewing Oil are finished as well. Are we clear?"

Jock was furious as he ended the call with Mr. Kay. If it had been his daughter he would have felt just the same, he thought. Why couldn't Bobby just find a girl and settle down as straightforwardly as JR had done?

As he took the stairs to find his youngest son he was met by JR and Sue-Ellen coming down. "JR!" Miss Ellie shouted. "Please go with your daddy. I think he is going to do something awful to Bobby!" "Yes mama" JR replied, acting shocked and concerned. He knew exactly what this was all about but intended to play the innocent. Sue-Ellen looked worriedly at her mother-in-law. "Grace?" she asked. "Yes Sue-Ellen I'm afraid that it's all gone very wrong. Come into the kitchen with me, dear. I don't want you to be upset in your condition. We have to leave this to the men now" Miss Ellie replied.

TBC


	22. Chapter 23

Bobby knew what was coming when he heard his father storming down the corridor towards his room. A call had obviosuly been made on behalf of Grace and his daddy was obviously angry. It was how to get his point across that would be the problem. Jock's anger could be explosive but then so could Bobby's. And Bobby was angry now, angry with Grace, angry with her doting parents who had led her on to believe that they had a future together but, most of all, angry with his father for trying to run his life all the time.

"Bobby, I demand an explanation from you boy!" Jock shouted as he entered the room. JR was stood behind him. "Say, daddy, Bobby, what's this all about?" he lied. He could barely stop himself from smirking. Bobby stood up. He was going to face his father standing. "Daddy, I'll tell you but only if you are prepared to listen and not to shout over me." JR admired his brother's courage but also considered him somewhat foolish. Jock Ewing was not a man to be trifled with and, where JR was concerned, he had always taken the "confess and avoid" approach when it came to any sort of confrontation.

Bobby's firm yet calm tone took his father by surprise. "Say what you need to say then" he replied gruffly. "Yes I will and I intend to be frank, daddy. Because a number of factors have led to this very unsatisfactory situation, not least your views about my personal life and where it ought to be headed." JR looked anxiously at his father. Jock was seething at the mention of his name being associated with this debacle.

"I acknowledge that my decision to ask Grace out was an unwise one but that's in retrospect only. I could never have foreseen that she would misinterpret so badly what was happening between us. It was all about fun as far as I was concerned and by that you know full well what I mean. Grace is a very attractive girl and she was, er, very free in expressing her affection. What red blooded man would say no in the circumstances?" JR nodded at his father. He wanted to appear to be supportive of his younger brother. Jock remained unmoved although deep down he recognised that his boy had a point.

"How was I to know that she would get all ahead of herself and expect a proposal after what was in reality less than ten dates? I know now that I should have broken it off before she returned to Harvard at the beginning of term and in that regard I made a mistake. However, yours and mama's burgeoning friendship with her parents, the possibility of further deals to be made with Kay Holdings and then Grace sitting important exams made the picture much more complicated." Bobby paused. His father had opened his mouth to speak and nobody ever spoke over Jock Ewing and got away with it."

"There won't be any more deals to be made with the Kays, Bobby. John has made that abundantly clear. You are going to cause your mother and I huge embarrassment as well. Don't you think it will be all around town by Monday? Bobby Ewing is a user of decent young women. He beds them, strings them along and then rejects them brutally. That will be the story. Your mother and I are ashamed of you. Why was it so difficult to make an honest woman of her? When are you going to grow up, boy?" When he wanted to, Jock could go to the bone for blood and this was such an occasion.

"You see, there you go again, trying to run my life for me!" Bobby exploded. "I'm not JR. I won't just do your bidding all the time. " "Steady on, Bob" JR interjected. He had to keep up the charade that he had had no advance warning of all of this. "There's more to life, you know. Like love and happiness. It's not just business first, second and last!"

At this, Jock lunged at his son. How could he be so openly disrespectful? JR lamely and without any genuine intent attempted to intervene but the older man managed to land a punch to Bobby's chin. Bobby fell backwards. God, his father might be getting elderly but he was still strong, Bobby thought as he got back to his feet. "Enough now!" JR cried. "Bobby, if I were you I'd go off somewhere to cool down. There's nothing more that can be said or done here. We Ewings will just have to face whatever gossip or speculation comes our way and stand together." Jock nodded and muttered something in assent as Bobby stormed past his father and brother.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs he was met by Sue-Ellen. "Bobby, come with me for a walk" she suggested. "I don't think you are in a fit state to drive anywhere." Sue-Ellen and Miss Ellie had heard the shouting from where they were sitting in the kitchen. Sue-Ellen had then moved, against her mother-in-law's advice, to the bottom of the staircase to try to hear what was being said. It was at that point that Jock had landed his punch. His daughter-in-law was shocked and perturbed.

Bobby nodded to her and exited the house quickly. Sue-Ellen looked up to her husband. "He'll be fine. We will be back soon" she advised. "Take care, honey, don't go too far" JR replied. He was willing to let his wife go. She may return with more valuable information for him, he thought.

As Bobby strode ahead Sue-Ellen called to him gently to slow down in order to let her catch up with him. As they moved out of the direct vicinity of the ranch and its outbuildings Bobby began to speak. He didn't need to explain the factors that had led to such a fiasco. Sue-Ellen knew already and understood. Instead, he talked to his sister-in-law about how he viewed relationships and how the girl he would eventually marry had to be "the one." " The acquisition of power and wealth mean nothing compared to the true connection that a man and his wife should have together" he said. Sue-Ellen nodded sagely. She had been penniless when she met JR but it hadn't prevented them from having a fulfilling and happy marriage. Bobby was a true romantic. It was all or nothing for him and Grace, sadly, couldn't give him the "all" that he so obviously desired in a long-term relationship.

"What sort of girl do you see yourself with?" Sue-Ellen asked. She wanted to help Bobby to be more reflective about his situation. It might help him to explain what had happened more effectively to his parents upon their return to the house. Jock may not understand but Miss Ellie would and she seemed to have the infinite ability to talk her husband round, she mused.

Bobby stopped walking and Sue-Ellen fell in line with him. "Someone like you, Sue-Ellen. In fact, just you." In his turmoil Bobby's old feelings for Sue-Ellen had somehow risen once again to the surface. Before she could speak he had taken her face in his hands and was kissing her lips. She broke away from him but the sense of confusion and unrest that she had felt at the barbeque when she saw Bobby dancing with another woman washed over her. Before she knew it they were kissing again, deeply and passionately.

tbc


	23. Chapter 24

Somehow, despite the passion of their encounter, Sue-Ellen's brain kicked into action. She pushed Bobby away from her. "This can't happen, Bobby. I'm so sorry but I love JR and he's the one that I want to be with. Call it hormones, narcissism, whatever you like, but I should never have led you on in this way" she told him tearfully. Bobby knew that they had both acted inappropriately even though for the time that the kissing lasted he had enjoyed every second and it had felt much more natural and pleasurable than when he had kissed Grace.

"Sue-Ellen, I'm sorry. Amidst everything that has been going on you have been my only friend and ally. I'm upset but my behaviour was out of order and was inexcusable. Please forgive me." Bobby knew that he had crossed a line that was totally taboo and could only lead to disaster for him, Sue-Ellen and the rest of the family. "I think it best if we both forget that this ever happened. Nobody else ever needs to know. It would only lead to unnecessary heartache all round" he advised.

"Yes you're right" Sue-Ellen replied wiping the tears away from her face hurriedly. "Let's go back to the house now. We've been gone a long time" she suggested. As they walked back Bobby told her that he intended to suggest to his daddy that he should be sent on the road to learn more about the oil business on the ground. "I know very little about drilling. It's shameful really. JR was going out as a young boy to the fields with daddy inspecting drill bits and the like and speaking to our men. When my time came I preferred to go riding and herding the cattle."

There were several reasons why Bobby needed to get away for a bit, Grace Kay for starters. However, it was what had just happened between him and Sue-Ellen that he was most conscious of. He needed to clear his head and eradicate all feelings for her from his heart. It was too dangerous to be in her company for the foreseeable future, he thought.

The house was quiet when they returned. Bobby decided to go for a drive. "Thanks for all your support, Sue-Ellen" he told her as they parted company. It was best to lie low for a while longer. Jock's anger could take a long time to simmer down. Sue-Ellen joined JR on the veranda. "Is he OK?" JR asked out of mock concern. "He will be" Sue-Ellen replied. Her mind was all over the place. What on earth had just happened? she thought. Was this some sort of subconscious revenge for the incident involving JR and one of Mr. Collins' lady friends? Or did this all run deeper? Sue-Ellen settled for re-assuring herself that it was neither. Bobby had made a pass at a time of distress and confusion and she was a bundle of raging hormones. It was akin to the pair of them being very drunk, when inhibitions are lessened and the boundaries of decent behaviour become blurred. Yes, that was exactly what it was and to prove it to herself she leaned in for a kiss from her husband. "Mmmm, sugar" JR murmured as he responded. All was well. The madness of the last few hours was over, Sue-Ellen told herself.

Dinner was a subdued affair. Bobby took his in his room. Lucy's entreaties to be told about what had happened earlier were ignored and she was dispatched to bed as soon as she had eaten. JR's mind turned to the final stage of his plan. He wasn't content that his father was angry with Bobby over a mistake in his personal life. The mistake that would really count was one that involved business.

"Say, daddy, I've been thinking about the Collins refinery. Bobby has all the necessary finance in place and I wonder whether we should just make a pre-emptive offer? When I visited I got the distinct impression that Collins wouldn't be likely to reject us if the price is fair and we can move fast." "Not now, JR." Jock was still fuming. JR knew that this was how he would react. It was about planting the seed in his father's mind.

On the following Monday Bobby decided to approach his father about going out on the road. Jock invited JR to join in the discussion. "Seems sensible don't you think JR? There is no better place to learn the business than out in the fields. Plus it will keep you out of the way of John Kay. It's going to take some time for that fella to calm down" Jock commented. "I agree, daddy, but what about the refinery deal? That was one that Bobby has done all the hard work on and it would be shame if he didn't get to close it" JR replied at his conniving best. Jock reflected. He had been very angry with his youngest son but if closing such a major deal for Ewing Oil had the effect of making him take his responsibilities more seriously it would be worth delaying Bobby's oil field sabbatical for a short time. Bobby appeared enthusiastic too.

"Good idea, JR. Bobby, arrange a meeting with Old Man Collins. Tell him we are prepared to make him a generous offer." "Yes sir, right away" Bobby replied happily. He looked gratefully at JR for suggesting what might be an opportunity for him to get back into his father's good books, at least to an extent.

Bobby retired to his office to make the call. JR smiled evilly to himself. Within seconds Bobby's secretary came to invite Jock and JR into his office. "Mr. Collins wants to speak to you, daddy" Bobby informed him, passing the telephone handset over to his father. Jock placed it on speaker phone so that his sons could hear the conversation. "Jim? How are you?" Jock greeted him. "Oh I'm just fine, Jock. However, I thought you should hear it from me- there is no way I'm selling to Ewing Oil. John Kay is a good friend of mine and I've heard what Bobby did to his daughter. Just disgraceful. There will be no deal between me and your family, ever. Goodbye." Collins put down his phone. He had kept his side of the bargain with that bastard JR Ewing, read out his pre-prepared script and now he expected the incriminating photographs and negatives to be sent to him immediately for destruction.

Jock exploded. "See what you have done, boy! Ruined relations between us and not just the Kays but Collins as well! Goodness knows who will be next to refuse to do business with us. Get out of my sight!"

Bobby fled from the office. JR acted all concerned. "Listen daddy, let's give it a bit of time. I'll see if I can talk Collins round when the dust has settled. Ewing Oil will acquire its first refinery. You'll see" he reassured his father.

As JR left the office to return to his own he couldn't help but smile. By the time he had entered the office and shut the door he was laughing. What JR could not foresee, however, was the disaster in his marriage that the quest for revenge would soon strike.

tbc

 **Author's note: thank you for all the kind feedback :)**


	24. Chapter 25

Bobby's dispatch on an extended tour of the Ewings' oil fields took place swiftly. Sue-Ellen felt sorry for him but at the same time a little relieved. It was too awkward between them at the moment and she was afraid that someone might notice. She also felt guilty about her lack of fidelity to her husband. It was only a kiss but her husband should be the only one to receive such intimate contact from her. She decided to make an even greater effort to show JR that she loved him and bring him pleasure. In the weeks that followed Sue-Ellen went out of her way to ensure that JR was a happy husband. However and whenever he sought physical contact with her she enthusiastically complied. It also flattered her to know that JR still wanted her, even as she reached a more advanced stage of pregnancy.

Whilst Sue-Ellen felt bad for her behaviour the imminent return of Julie Grey to Ewing Oil weighed heavily on JR's mind. He decided to take pre-emptive action. He wanted her out of the way from the minute that she came back. JR discussed the proposed switch of secretarial personnel with his father. He explained that he did not feel that Julie conveyed the right image to be "front of office." She was just a little too "trashy" he told Jock. Jock was surprised but unperturbed. At the end of the day the choice of his secretary came down to JR. If he wasn't getting on with Julie or he felt that someone else would be more suitable for the job it was his decision. Having been given the green light to deploy Julie elsewhere JR set about looking for a replacement for her. He settled on a middle-aged, efficient yet pleasant woman who was currently the secretary to the Head of Accounts at Ewing Oil. The woman was pleased by what she viewed as a promotion and JR was content in the knowledge that there would be absolutely no temptation sitting right outside his office every day.

Julie had enjoyed her holiday in the Caribbean. Whilst she was there she resolved to move on from JR. He had made it plain that he no longer welcomed her advances and she had to accept that. He was also going to be a father soon and this was bound to cement "perfect" Sue-Ellen's position in his life once and for all. Julie knew Jock Ewing well. There was no way that he was going to permit a grandchild of his to be brought up anywhere other than Southfork and that meant that Sue-Ellen was here to stay.

Julie's expectation of an unremarkable return to work was dispelled on her first morning back. As she sauntered into the office wearing a dress that she had bought with some of the money that JR had given to her she was surprised to find another woman sitting at her desk. "Good morning, Julie. Mr. Ewing wants to see you in his office right away" she was told. Barbara, the new secretary, was following her boss's direction to the letter. It was not for her to question why Julie, who had been his secretary for several years, had apparently fallen from favour.

Julie was open-mouthed. She was being fired! She rapped on JR's door. "Come in" he called out. As she entered the office she was shaking. She had a little money put aside but it was no way near enough to meet her bills until she found another position, she thought. JR sensed her anxiety. "Hey Julie, don't worry! While you were away daddy and I have decided on a minor re-shuffle of the staff. You will be going down into Accounts as secretary to Anthony Hayes, with immediate effect. Same money, less hours. You don't have to thank me" he informed her. His tone was blunt and business like. Julie came close to tears but determinedly held them back. "Yes sir" she replied coldly. She turned on her heels and left the office. As she got to the door she looked back at JR. "Good morning, Mr. Ewing" she said sarcastically.

As the lift door closed Julie dissolved into tears. She felt utterly humiliated by JR's treatment of her. She would bide her time working in the Accounts Department but as soon as she could find a position in another company she was getting out, she told herself.

A couple of weeks later JR woke early. Normally he would not disturb his wife from her much-needed sleep but this morning he had a certain desire for her. He reached over and began fondling her breasts over her nightgown. They were much bigger these days, he mused. Just gorgeous. He hoped that they would remain the same size after she gave birth to their baby but he wasn't sure that they would. Being caressed so intimately served to wake Sue-Ellen up. "Good morning, sugar" JR whispered. "You feel so good today." Sue-Ellen knew what he wanted. As he continued to touch her, this time under her nightgown, she pleasured him with her hand. He was impressively erect and it did not take long to bring him to climax. "Darlin, that was so good. Thank you" he told her after he had recovered his composure. "You don't have to thank me for loving you, JR" Sue-Ellen giggled as she kissed his lips.

"God is that the time? I need to get going. Say, honey, what have you got planned for the day?" JR asked. "I'm going into town later. I need a dress for the Oil Barons' Ball. It's not going to be easy given the size of me at the moment though. I'm hoping the owner of my favourite boutique will have some ideas" she replied. "Well then come over to the office for about six and I will take you out for dinner. We could stay over at the condo afterwards" JR smiled cheekily. "That would be lovely, JR." Sue-Ellen was pleased that her small yet intimate act of pleasuring her husband had prompted him to make such a romantic gesture.

JR's day at Ewing Oil had been busy. A meeting with the Cartel had overrun meaning that an appointment with Harv Smithfield to sign a contract had been missed. He therefore arranged to dash over to Harv's office at 5.45pm to attend to the paperwork. By contrast, Julie's day had dragged. She hated it in Accounts but she didn't have to put up with it much longer. She had been offered and had accepted a position with a small company that provided engineering services to the oil industry. Her letter of resignation from Ewing Oil was in her handbag and she intended to deliver it personally to JR at the end of the day.

Sue-Ellen's shopping trip had ended with success. An elegant full length Empire style gown that fitted in all the right places whilst flattering her baby bump had been purchased by her at her favourite boutique. New evening shoes with slightly lower heels than she would have worn pre-pregnancy and a matching clutch had also been selected. It had all been easier than she had imagined owing to the proprietor's excellent eye for what suited her beautiful customer. Sue-Ellen was slightly early when she arrived at her husband's office. The secretaries were gone for the day as was Jock. She walked into JR's office to find a note on his desk addressed to her. "Just dashed over to Harv's office. Back soon. Make yourself comfortable. Love JR xxx"

As she settled herself on the sofa there was a knock on the door. It was Julie. "Come in" Sue-Ellen called. Julie was taken aback. His wife is in there, she thought. She was going to walk away but suddenly the pain and humiliation of recent events came back to her. She was leaving the company and had nothing to lose.

"Oh good evening, Mrs. Ewing." Julie said as she entered the office. "I was looking for JR." "Good evening, it's Julie isn't it?" Sue-Ellen politely replied. Julie was irked by the fact that her rival wasn't even sure of her name. "I just came to deliver this. It's my letter of resignation." Sue-Ellen appeared surprised but before she could respond Julie decided to deliver a metaphorical knife to her heart. "It's just after all that business when I went with JR to the Collins refinery, it's been difficult to work here." Julie was deliberately oblique.

"You went to the refinery? Overnight?" Sue-Ellen was shocked. All her suspicions and fears came flooding back. "Why yes, did JR not tell you all about it?" "He told me a little but obviously not everything." Sue-Ellen was becoming angry. "What's been going on between you and my husband?" she asked. "Oh, Mrs. Ewing, I'm just the woman that JR was fucking when you were going out together and wouldn't give him what he wanted!" Julie cried. "He'd come to me after being with you all frustrated and fired up and I would give it to him. He used to say that you were too prim and proper, frigid even!"

As the words came from her mouth Julie realised that she had gone too far. She was horrified when Sue-Ellen clutched her stomach and moaned loudly. A gushing sound followed. They simultaneously looked at the floor. "Oh God, my waters have broken!"

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	25. Chapter 26

The two women looked at each other in horror. Before either could speak Sue-Ellen doubled up in pain once again. Julie helped her to the sofa. "I'll dial 911" she said. Sue-Ellen didn't want to accept the woman's help but she had no choice. She was in the exquisite agony that only childbirth can bring. "In my bag" Sue-Ellen gestured "there's a card for my obstetrician. In the side pocket. Please can you call her as well?"

Julie rang the ambulance first and then called Dr. Scott. Dr. Scott confirmed that she would be at the hospital waiting for her patient. As Julie rang off JR came back into the office. A momentary assessment of the situation revealed to him that he was almost certainly in trouble but that would have to come second to the safe delivery of his baby. "I've made the necessary calls JR" Julie informed him. "The ambulance should be here very soon." JR ran over to Sue-Ellen. He tried to take her hand but she pulled it away angrily. "Don't touch me!" she shrieked as she was overcome once again by a strong contraction. "How often?" JR asked. "About every five minutes, I reckon" Julie replied. She didn't know much about childbirth but it seemed to her that this baby was going to come into the world very soon.

When the wave of pain had passed Sue-Ellen was able to speak. "Get her out of here" she ordered. JR nodded to Julie who was swift to take her leave. "Darlin, I don't know what she has said to you but I can tell you she is a malicious liar." JR was always keen on getting his defence in early. "Don't speak to me. I hate you." She's not going to forgive me easily for this, JR thought. Suddenly he realised he needed to call home and inform his parents.

Jock and Miss Ellie were just about to sit down to dinner. There was only the two of them and Lucy and so a less formal meal had been planned. "Miss Ellie, it's Mr. JR for you on the phone. He says it's urgent" Raoul informed them. The call was short-lived. There was no time for pleasantries. Miss Ellie rushed into the dining room. "Oh Jock, it's Sue-Ellen. She's gone into labour. She is being taken to Dallas Memorial." Jock jumped from his seat. "But she has weeks to go yet, Miss Ellie." "She doesn't now. Get your coat on. Lucy dear, eat your dinner. Teresa will take care of you." "Can't I come too?" the young girl was excited. She had no comprehension that this baby would be significantly premature. "No, I will call you later, Lucy" Miss Ellie replied firmly as she and Jock went to leave the house.

When the paramedics arrived they immediately realised that they needed to get Sue-Ellen to the hospital fast. She was rapidly dilating and her contractions were strong and fierce. In the rush they didn't notice the tension between husband and wife. Their job was to get Sue-Ellen to the delivery suite where Dr. Scott was waiting for her and they were concentrating on just that.

At hospital JR was allowed as far as the door of the delivery suite but no further. One of the nurses showed him to a waiting room where he sat down. He held his head in his hands. What a mess, he thought. He wanted to kill Julie Grey. Whatever she had said to Sue-Ellen had prompted an early labour and threatened the health of his wife and child. He had no idea of the size of the baby but with several weeks more to go he worried about the condition that he or she would be in. Within thirty minutes he had been joined by his parents. "We should call Patricia" Miss Ellie suggested. "No, not yet mama. There's nothing she can do. When we have proper news then we will inform her." JR needed time to try to talk Sue-Ellen round before her interfering mother arrived. He remembered how vehement Sue-Ellen had been about leaving him when she found his stained shirt. He couldn't risk Patricia getting involved and offering Sue-Ellen and his child a place to stay.

Dr. Scott was calm which was in direct contrast to her patient. She knew that the baby would be small but it was perfectly viable in her opinion. As Sue-Ellen writhed in agony on the bed the doctor called for paediatric support. "Your baby sure is in a hurry to meet his or her mummy and daddy, Sue-Ellen" she tried to reassure her patient. However, her words had the opposite effect. "Not the daddy, he's a bastard!" Sue-Ellen cried. However, she didn't have time to explain. "I feel like I want to push" Sue- Ellen moaned. "Hang on while I take a quick look" Dr. Scott replied. "Sue-Ellen, you are fully dilated. Go on my dear give it your all" she encouraged. Summoning strength that she didn't know she had Sue-Ellen began to push in time with each contraction. A kindly nurse offered Sue-Ellen her hand. "Squeeze this, Mrs. Ewing, hard as you like. I'm used to it." "Come on, Sue-Ellen. You are almost there. Your baby's head is crowning" Dr. Scott told her. Minutes later it was all over. A small but perfectly formed baby had entered the world. The consultant paediatrician took the little one over to an examination table and began rubbing the baby with a towel.

There was silence for what seemed to Sue-Ellen like an eternity. She looked up at Dr. Scott trying to assess her expression. Dr. Scott was an old hand in such situations. She smiled at her patient. "Just a little bit cold. This baby came into the world very suddenly. Needs warming up, that's all" she told Sue-Ellen kindly. Then came the sound that everyone in the room wanted to hear. A little cry followed by healthy bellowing. The baby was passed to Sue-Ellen. At that point she was the happiest woman in the world. That is until she remembered what Julie had said to her. Sue-Ellen believed it. Julie was a lot of things but she wasn't a wicked liar. The only liar is JR, she thought.

As Sue-Ellen dissolved into floods of tears Dr. Scott gently took the baby from her arms. "We are going to have to incubate this little one, Sue-Ellen, but don't worry. Oh, you have had an ordeal. You must be exhausted." The doctor had misread the situation. "I'm exhausted but I'm also heartbroken!" Sue-Ellen cried. "I just found out that my husband has been unfaithful to me" she sobbed. "I don't want him anywhere near me." Dr. Scott reassured her patient that her decision would be completely respected. "However, he and the family are outside waiting. Can I at least give them the news?" Sue-Ellen nodded. The family didn't deserve to be left worrying for a minute longer, she thought.

Dr. Scott tidied herself up and exited the delivery suite. As she entered the waiting room JR and his parents stood up. "Sue-Ellen has had, er, an eventful time. She's fine but she needs rest and is not fit for visitors tonight. Mr. Ewing, congratulations. You have a small but perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl."

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	26. Chapter 27

As Sue-Ellen was helped into the bath Dr. Scott took JR and his parents to the neonatal unit to see the baby. Any disappointment at the fact that the baby was a girl was dispelled when JR and Jock saw her. "Such a sweet little face!" commented Miss Ellie. She was delighted to have another grandaughter. "She's as pretty as her mama and a fighter like her daddy" Jock exclaimed. JR was touched by his father's remark. He too had fallen in love with the little treasure lying fast asleep in her incubator. However, his excitement was tempered by anxiety over the state of his relationship with his wife.

As they went to leave the hospital JR told his parents to go on ahead of him. He wanted to speak to Dr. Scott. Jock and Miss Ellie assumed that this was out of natural concern for the health of Sue-Ellen but his motive was much more complicated. "Doctor, I am worried about my wife. Why can't I see her just for a few minutes tonight?" he asked. Dr. Scott was not only an able obstetrician but she was also a fierce protector of her patients. "It's probably not my place to say, Mr. Ewing, but your wife is very upset with you at the moment. She's also exhausted and needs to rest. Leave it until the morning. Sue-Ellen might be able to see things differently then" the doctor replied. "Good evening and congratulations once again."

JR was irritated- Sue-Ellen had clearly said something negative about him whilst in labour. This was their private business, nobody else's. He desperately hoped that he would be able to convince his wife of his fidelity in the morning. If not, then his parents and mother-in-law would have to be informed that the arrival of their daughter had coincided with a crisis in their marriage. Oh God, Patricia, he suddenly remembered. He went to the nearest pay phone and rang her number. Patricia picked up almost immediately. "Hello, Patricia, it's JR. Great news. Sue-Ellen has just given birth to a little girl" he informed her as cheerfully as he could. "What JR? But she's not due yet" his mother-in-law replied, sounding concerned. "Mother and baby are just fine" he reassured her. He didn't want her jumping on a plane that evening. "The baby is a little on the small side but is healthy and will be fine." "Kristin and I will be on the first flight out tomorrow. Oh and, JR, congratulations! This is wonderful news" Patricia said as she rang off. Was it good news though? The Ewings had been heavily invested in the idea that this baby was a boy. Had Sue-Ellen disappointed them? she pondered as she made her way upstairs to tell Kristin the news.

Sue-Ellen was settled into bed by the nurse. What should have been the happiest day of hers and JR's lives had been marred by Julie's cruel revelation. As she cried softly into her pillow exhaustion claimed her and she fell asleep. She woke suddenly and looked at the clock. It was 4am. She was overwhelmed by the need to see and hold her baby. She might be all I have left now, she thought sadly as she carefully got out of bed. All was very quiet on the maternity unit. A nurse who happened to be passing approached Sue-Ellen as she made her way slowly down the corridor. "Can I help you, dear?" she asked kindly. "My baby is in the neonatal unit and I want to see her please" Sue-Ellen replied politely. "Come with me."

"Baby Ewing, there she is in incubator seven" the nurse informed Sue-Ellen as she gazed through the large glass window. "Can I hold her or is she too small?" "Let me fetch her paediatric notes and I'll see." The nurse had handled this situation many times. If she could she would let mother and baby have a cuddle. It would help the bonding process, she mused.

A minute or two later the nurse beckoned Sue-Ellen to enter the unit. She carefully passed the little girl to her mother. "There you are. Isn't she gorgeous? Do you know what you and your husband are going to call her?" Sue-Ellen shook her head as she kissed her daughter gently on the forehead. "Now, sit down on that armchair and enjoy your baby. Just a few minutes mind." Sue-Ellen did as she was asked. The nurse could sense that the young woman was feeling sad and felt sorry for her. She wondered what the reason was but decided that it would not be appropriate to ask.

As she cuddled her baby Sue-Ellen was overcome with love for her. She examined her tiny fingers and stroked the soft, perfect skin of her cheeks. She is gorgeous, she thought. JR didn't deserve to have such a perfect little girl enter his life. Anyway he always wanted a son. She almost felt glad that he hadn't got what he wanted for once. She wondered what his and Jock's reaction to the birth of a daughter had been but then decided that she didn't care. She loved this adorable little girl and that was all that mattered at this time.

When JR got home the champagne was flowing. Lucy was giddy with excitement. "When can I go and see her?" she asked delightedly. She was secretly pleased that Sue-Ellen had had a girl. She would be able to help dress her up and play with her, she thought. "I've told Patricia, mama. She and Kristin will be on the first plane out of Austin in the morning." Miss Ellie sensed that all was not as it should be with her eldest son. "I'll ask Teresa to get two of the guest rooms ready then. JR, is there something wrong? It's not Sue-Ellen is it?" his mother asked. JR's expression caused his parents alarm. "Lucy, go to bed now, darling" Jock ordered. "But is Sue-Ellen OK?" the young girl enquired. "She's just fine, Lucy. Do as your grandaddy says and go to bed" JR replied gruffly. Lucy turned on her heels and sulkily bade the family goodnight.

"Mama, daddy, I have something to tell you. Before Sue-Ellen went into labour she was with Julie Grey. I think Julie told her that she and I had been having an affair. It's not true. However, Sue-Ellen was very upset and that's why I was barred from seeing her after the birth this evening" JR struggled to get his words out. "Why the hell would Julie say something like that?" Jock replied angrily. Miss Ellie looked from her son to her husband anxiously. She knew that JR had been a womaniser in the past but she truly believed that he had settled down with Sue-Ellen. "JR?" she asked sternly.

"I haven't been with Julie since Sue-Ellen and I were married. I swear." JR answered. "Julie is just trying to make trouble for me." Jock thought back to the young woman's demotion instigated wholly by JR but decided against confronting him about that in front of his wife. "I'm afraid that Sue-Ellen is going to leave me and go back to Austin with her mother. I'm unsure of what to do." JR was close to tears as he entreated his parents for help.

"The hell she is if she thinks she is taking the baby with her" Jock thundered. "Now you two" Miss Ellie interjected "you leave this to me. I will handle this first thing in the morning."

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	27. Chapter 28

After getting to know her baby a little better Sue-Ellen slept surprisingly well. JR's night was nowhere nearly as restful. He tossed and turned in bed as he tried desperately to think of what he might say when he next saw his wife. He also determined to make sure that Julie Grey paid a heavy price for what she had done. Nobody crosses JR Ewing and gets away with it, he thought.

After her anxious night Miss Ellie was up early. She had to get over to the hospital and prevent Sue-Ellen from doing or saying anything unwise, particularly once Patricia had arrived on the scene. Jock had confidence in his wife. Whilst he was sorely tempted to strong-arm Sue-Ellen into making a commitment to come back to Southfork with the baby he realised that Miss Ellie's intended approach, whatever that might entail, would probably be more effective.

As Miss Ellie entered Sue-Ellen's hospital room she found the young woman sitting up in bed. A cold plate of buttered toast was untouched by her but she was sipping some sweet tea that the kindly nurse who had introduced her to her baby in the early hours had brought for her just as her shift was ending. Miss Ellie kissed her daughter-in-law gently on the cheek. "What a brave girl you have been. Sue-Ellen, I know what's been happening. We don't have to talk about JR if you don't want to. My only concern is for you and that beautiful little girl that you have just brought into the world. How are you?" Miss Ellie's words made Sue-Ellen want to cry. Her mother-in-law had always been much kinder to her than her own mother, she thought. "I'm upset and confused and angry all at the same time, Miss Ellie. How could JR betray me in the way that he has? I thought he loved me. Oh God, my mother! Has she been informed?" Sue-Ellen suddenly remembered Patricia. She certainly had a right to be told about her first grandchild, however Sue-Ellen felt about her personally. "Yes she has" Miss Ellie replied soothingly "she and your sister will be here in Dallas shortly."

"Do you have any plans? I mean after your discharge, dear?" Miss Ellie enquired. "Dr. Scott came to see me just before you arrived. I will be fit to be discharged in a few days but the baby has to stay in a little longer. Just to get to a slightly better weight. As for me I don't know. I have nowhere to go" Sue-Ellen dissolved into tears. Miss Ellie seized her opportunity. "Yes you do, Sue-Ellen. Southfork is as much your home as anyone else's. I can set you up in a guest room near the nursery and take you to hospital every day to be with your daughter. JR won't pester you either. Jock will make sure of that. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to go to your mother's?" Miss Ellie knew she was taking a gamble by mentioning Sue-Ellen's mother but her instinct told her that Patricia's house was the last place that she would want to go.

"No, I don't want to go to my mother's. I had thought about checking into a hotel whilst the baby remains an inpatient and that way I could see her every day" Sue-Ellen replied tearfully. "Come home, Sue-Ellen" Miss Ellie gently coaxed "a hotel room is no place for someone who has just given birth. Let me look after you." Miss Ellie's final words touched a nerve for Sue-Ellen. She had never felt particularly nurtured by her own mother and she had to admit to herself that the thought of being taken care of, now, when at her most vulnerable, was very reassuring.

"Alright then, thank you. It's just until I work out what I am going to do, though." "Of course, dear. Just til things are clearer. No pressure whatsoever." Miss Ellie realised that if this situation was ever going to be fixed it would take time. The main priority was to get her daughter-in-law back to Southfork in the meantime followed in due course, hopefully, by her grandchild.

"Oh no! When my mother visits what are we going to say?" Sue-Ellen was afraid that if the truth emerged Patricia would insist on taking her own brand of action. "What do you want to say to her?" Miss Ellie asked. "You can of course tell her the truth. Jock and I are just as angry right now with JR as you are. However, a little thinking time never did any harm." Sue-Ellen recognised that Miss Ellie's words were wise. "OK, we tell my mother nothing and we act as if everything is just fine. However, I will not see JR on my own. Only in the company of family- just to maintain the charade until I have decided what to do."

Miss Ellie was quietly impressed by Sue-Ellen's determination and resolve. "Quite so" she replied. As a nurse entered the room to check Sue-Ellen's blood pressure Miss Ellie saw the opportunity to excuse herself briefly. She went straight to the nearest pay phone and rang home. She needed to explain to JR and Jock what had been agreed. The "happy family" facade would have to be maintained by all of them if her son was to get his wife and daughter home. JR was very relieved to learn of his mother's success. He had not been sure that he could have persuaded his wife to come home and he was certain that if his father came on strong there was no way that she would come back. "Now, JR. What does the proud new father of a lovely baby girl do in normal circumstances?" Miss Ellie asked. JR got his mother's hint. After ringing off he immediately called Sue-Ellen's favourite florist. "I want her hospital room filled with yellow roses this morning" he ordered. Fortunately, Patricia's flight had been the subject of a slight delay and she was now not due in at Dallas until 12.30pm. There was still a chance that when she got to the hospital everything would be in place to portray to her the family's delight at the new arrival and the continuing solidity of her daughter's marriage.

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 **Author's note: thank you all for your continued support. Honkytonkangel, your reviews do make me laugh!**


	28. Chapter 29

Always a family to stick together in adversity JR, Jock and Miss Ellie met Patricia and Kristin at the airport. "JR! How are they? I'm so excited to see them!" Patricia shrieked in that insincere manner that was so characteristic of her. "Just great" JR replied "We've got the limo outside. Do you want to go straight there or back to Southfork to freshen up first?" If he could play for a bit more time he would.

Naturally Patricia wanted to go directly to the hospital. The flight was not a long one and she wanted to see her little grandaughter. She also wanted to gauge the reaction of the Ewing men to the fact that, disappointingly, Sue-Ellen had failed to produce a much wanted son and heir. Either the random nature of the biology of human conception had failed to figure in Patricia's education or her critical parenting style in relation to her elder daughter prevented her from thinking that it was anything other than Sue-Ellen's fault that she had had a little girl instead of a boy.

As the limo approached the hospital JR began to feel nervous. Alright, his mother had reassured him that a certain "front" would be put up when he visited but he was also aware of Sue-Ellen's mercurial nature and, at times, her feisty temper. What if she lost control of her emotions and said something in the presence of Patricia?

Miss Ellie sensed her son's anxiety. As he helped her out of the car she smiled at him and patted his hand. She was angry with him but couldn't help feeling that he was genuinely contrite for whatever it was that he had done with Julie Grey. Jock kept Patricia occupied by chatting away to her in that "bon viveur" way that he had developed over the years as a defence mechanism. He went on about the excitement that accompanied the arrival of the new addition to the family. "Do you know what Patricia? That baby was almost born at Ewing Oil! I tell you! You sure raised a strong and brave girl in Sue-Ellen!" Flattery would get him everywhere, he schemed. Patricia was pleased. Perhaps a little girl was not such a bad outcome, she mused. Sue-Ellen would definitely have to produce a boy next time, though.

The family held back for JR, as husband, to enter Sue-Ellen's hospital room first. He was relieved to see that in accordance with his instructions the room had been filled with vases of yellow roses offset by gypsophelia, Sue-Ellen's favourite combination of flowers. Sue-Ellen was sitting up in bed. She had their baby in her arms, a portable incubator being used so that mother and child no longer needed to be separated. Sue-Ellen didn't need to force herself to smile at her visitors as she looked up. She was already smiling- at her beautiful little baby. JR gingerly kissed her on the cheek. He could feel her tense up slightly although this was imperceptible to the other visitors.

Amidst all the family's excitement to see and hold the baby JR reflected on what had greeted him as he first entered the room. His beautiful young wife smiling and cooing at their gorgeous little baby. He was touched but at the same time felt guilty. He knew he had messed things up. There just had to be a way of putting things right between them. He couldn't bear to be without his wife and daughter, not now.

After half an hour a nurse gestured that the visit had to come to an end. Mother and baby both needed their rest. Each of the visitors took it in turns to kiss the baby and then Sue-Ellen. JR was last. Sue-Ellen gently passed the baby to him "go on daddy, give your little girl a proper love." JR took the tiny baby from her and looked directly into his daughter's eyes. He was amazed by her and felt so protective of her. Sue-Ellen hated him right now but she was convinced that he would be a doting father and this provided a small amount of reassurance to her. She would never deny him the chance to be a father no matter what happened, she thought.

As he passed the little one back to Sue-Ellen he whispered to her "I love you and I'm sorry." Sue-Ellen was unmoved. She held out her cheek for JR to kiss, keen to maintain their facade of happiness. Miss Ellie realised that Sue-Ellen may be becoming fragile again and began ushering the others out. "Hang on a minute!" Patricia exclaimed "what are you going to call her?" It was a good question, JR thought looking to his wife. If the baby had been a boy his name was pre-determined even before he was conceived. However, they hadn't spoken much in all honesty about a name for a girl. "It's Sue-Ellen's decision" JR announced diplomatically.

The reality was that in those initial bonding sessions with her baby a suitable forename had come to her. It suited the little sweetheart down to the ground, she had thought. However, until JR had made it clear that the decision was hers she had imagined that there would be some Ewing tradition or such like that she would be expected to follow. Smiling widely Sue-Ellen announced "we are calling her Eleanor Mary. Eleanor after her grandma and Mary after my maternal grandmother. However, for day to day purposes she will be known as Ella!"

Miss Ellie and Jock were beyond delighted, Patricia less so, although it was thoughtful of Sue-Ellen to acknowledge her grandmother she mused. JR was surprised but in a good way. He had imagined that Sue-Ellen would want to erase him and his family from hers and their daughter's lives given what had happened. "Thank you. It's perfect" was all he could muster. Sue-Ellen looked away as JR was the last to exit the room. She didn't know what she was going to do yet. JR had hurt her deeply and traumatically. However, it did no harm to have him and the family indebted to her, at least until she had figured out what she wanted to do.

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	29. Chapter 30

On their way home the Ewings were thankful to hear that Patricia's visit was intended to be very short-lived. Kristin needed to be back in school, she explained. Accordingly, their return flight was booked for late afternoon the following day. "We can spend the morning with Sue-Ellen and Ella and then go direct to the airport" Patricia informed them. "Our next visit can be planned when we know when the little one is to be discharged home." JR gave a quiet sigh of relief. This would give him at least some time to try to sort things out with Sue-Ellen, he thought.

Jock and Miss Ellie held a convivial, celebratory dinner that evening. There was a certain appearance to be kept up. They occupied Patricia in gregarious conversation whilst Lucy attempted to engage Kristin. Lucy realised instinctively that something was up that needed to be kept back from Sue-Ellen's mother and sister. She may not care much for JR but she at least recognised that it was her responsibility to tow the Ewing line.

"You are quiet, JR" Patricia commented at the table. "Uh, well I just miss Sue-Ellen and Ella. I want them both home." JR's words were entirely true. He didn't want to be entertaining the dreadful Mrs. Shepard and her bratty daughter over dinner. He wanted to be with his wife and baby, loving them and looking after them both. "Aw, isn't that just adorable! I do declare that fatherhood has completely melted your heart!" Patricia replied. The depths of her insincerity had still not yet been fully plumbed, JR fumed.

The birth of baby Ella, coming as a surprise, prompted Jock to request the early return of Bobby from his travels. Jock needed him back in the office whilst JR supported Sue-Ellen after the somewhat traumatic birth, Bobby was told. The news that Sue-Ellen was now a mother had the effect of permitting Bobby finally to move on from his earlier feelings for her. Before the baby was born it somehow didn't feel real to imagine his older brother and his wife having a permanent future together. Now that the baby was here, though, he had to accept that there were a whole host of reasons not to think of his sister-in-law in the way that he had done before and, in particular, not hope, jealously, that her marriage to JR would not survive.

However, Miss Ellie remained suspicious of her youngest son's motives where Sue-Ellen was concerned. She recalled vividly the vehemence with which Lucy had been convinced that Bobby was in love with her. It had resonated with her own interpretation of certain incidents between the two of them and still made her feel uncomfortable. Miss Ellie decided that, where Bobby was concerned, the least that was said about the trouble that JR was in the better. She counselled her husband to keep quiet for the time being. "It's their business, Jock. Sue-Ellen is a proud young woman and we don't want to frighten her off from returning home by making her think that she has no privacy here." Jock nodded in assent. Miss Ellie knew Sue-Ellen much better than he did, he mused.

In the meantime, the preparations for Sue-Ellen's return home began. She was still refusing to see JR on her own despite him sending her an array of gifts, most notably a rope of the finest pearls with a diamond clasp and matching earrings. Sue-Ellen was simply concentrating on caring for baby Ella. She wanted her little girl to put on sufficient weight to be able to come home to her as quickly as possible. When JR did visit, usually in the company of Miss Ellie and Lucy, the atmosphere was polite but stilted. Sue-Ellen showed JR how to feed and change his baby daughter and she always permitted him to spend time holding and soothing her but, as far as she was concerned, things went no further than that. When she did come home tomorrow she was moving into the guest room. Nothing had changed between them as a couple. She was resolved and, finally, she was feeling much stronger.

On the morning of Sue-Ellen's discharge from hospital Jock asked JR to speak to him in private in the den. JR was nervous as he left the breakfast table to follow his father. He knew only too well what was coming. "I don't want to know what you have been up to, boy, but you sure as hell are taking too long to resolve things with your wife" Jock began. "Do you want Sue-Ellen to up and leave, taking your baby with her?" "There's no way that could happen, sir" JR responded. "Oh yes it could! Do you think I haven't already taken legal advice about the situation you, we, are in? Harv Smithfield's partner who specialises in matrimonial law reckons Sue-Ellen has an open and shut case for full custody of Ella!" the old man replied. JR was shocked but at the same time grateful that his father had had the good sense to take pre-emptive advice.

Jock's attitude softened a little when he saw his son's stunned reaction. "Look, son, there are ways for a man to get his wife to forgive him, even for a major transgression. Gifts perhaps?" "Sir, I have tried" JR replied "I sent some very expensive jewellery in for her the other day. She asked mama to tell me that she wouldn't accept it." "Well, what else could you get for her that she might not reject? Something more practical perhaps?" Jock was not the most romantic of souls. "I know, get rid of that station wagon that you have her drive. Buy her a nicer, fancier car, something more in keeping with her status as your wife and mother of your child." JR shrugged his shoulders. He would do as his father had suggested but he had little confidence that a new car would help to mend his marriage. Jock's parting words were cutting. "Sue-Ellen is young and beautiful. How long do you think it will be before she catches the eye of another wealthy man, someone who is quite prepared to take her and Ella right away from here?" The bluntness of his father's words made JR feel quite tearful. He knew all too well that he was on the precipice of personal disaster. He turned his thoughts away from his own conduct and focused his ire on someone else- Julie Grey.

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	30. Chapter 31

It took JR only a couple of phone calls to discover where Julie Grey had gone to work. The engineering company had been an offshoot of a much larger company which had been wound up after its directors had fallen out spectacularly five years ago. The Ewings had backed the offshoot company in its initial days by sending business its way. This ensured that the company survived and later thrived. One further phone call and Julie's fate was sealed. Her new boss did not dare alienate JR Ewing. If he wanted the young woman to be fired she would be.

When Julie answered the knock at her apartment door that evening it was obvious to JR that she had been crying. "You bastard!" she shrieked as JR barged past her. "Oh Julie, I haven't even started yet. You made a huge mistake when you disclosed our, what was it now? Oh yes, our arrangement. Because it hardly classed as a love affair now did it?" He went on. "You know what you were? A cheap lay. I didn't even need to pay you most of the time. What were you hoping for? That I'd end it with Sue-Ellen and marry you? Now that's really deluded." JR had chosen the cruellness of his words carefully. "You see, nobody crosses me and gets away with it. You have made life somewhat inconvenient for me but make no mistake about it Sue-Ellen and my daughter are coming home and that is where they will stay. She will forgive me in time. However, I will never forgive you and if you are foolish enough to stay in Dallas I will make it my mission to ensure that the only employment you secure from now on will involve you lying on your back for a living!"

JR tossed an envelope onto the sofa. "$1000 to get out of town now. I'm not a total bastard. That should pay for a one-way ticket and a motel somewhere a long, long way from here." "But I loved you!" Julie cried. "Wonderful!" JR laughed as he walked out of the apartment "a jobless outcast and broken hearted to boot. Goodbye Julie."

At Southfork everything was prepared for Sue-Ellen's return home. Teresa had carefully moved all Sue-Ellen's clothes and belongings into one of the larger guest rooms directly opposite the nursery and Miss Ellie had set about making it comfortable and attractive. Three dozen red roses sent by JR had been placed in a vase on the dresser and Miss Ellie had put the rope of pearls and matching earrings in Sue-Ellen's large, wooden jewellery box. As instructed, baby monitors had been set up in Sue-Ellen's new room as well as her old one. Miss Ellie had been clear with her eldest son- the best way to get round his wife was by helping out with Ella's care and that meant during the night as well as the day. JR had been surprisingly compliant with his mother's advice. He wanted to look after his baby and to demonstrate to Sue-Ellen that he was capable of being a good husband and father.

Sue-Ellen's heart ached at the prospect of leaving her baby. "Mama will be back first thing tomorrow with Grandma" she told Ella as she gave her a last kiss and cuddle. Dr. Scott joined her. "Oh doctor, thank you for everything you have done. I, we, are truly grateful." The happy facade presented by the Ewings after Ella's birth may have fooled the maternity nurses but it hadn't fooled Dr. Scott. However, if it suited Sue-Ellen to go back home to her philandering husband, at least for the time being, the doctor was not going to be judgmental. "Sue-Ellen, it's been a pleasure looking after you. Bit of a rollercoaster ride eh?" she joked. Sue-Ellen smiled although her smile was more of a sad, regretful expression than one of happiness. "I just wanted to give you this. It's the contact details of a friend of mine. She's an excellent divorce attorney. Just in case you feel the need to take advice about your position either now or in the future." She handed Sue-Ellen a smart business card. She had seen men like JR Ewing many times before. They thought that they could trample all over their wives by using their money and influence. Sue-Ellen was young and vulnerable. If it came to a fight against JR Ewing and his family she needed someone fearless on her side and her friend was surely that.

"Thank you but I'm not sure it will be necessary." Sue-Ellen felt embarrassed. "Just take it, Mrs. Ewing. You never know." Dr. Scott returned quickly to formality as a nurse entered the room to take Ella back to the neonatal unit. Sue-Ellen pushed the card into the side pocket of her bag. JR and the family were due any time soon and she didn't want them to see it. When the Ewings arrived Sue-Ellen was suprised but pleased to see Bobby with them. He kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek. "I just stopped by on the way to the office to see my baby niece. Congratulations, Sue-Ellen." "Thanks Bobby, it is very nice to have you back." Sue-Ellen meant it. Notwithstanding the inappropriateness of what had happened between them she knew she always had an ally in her brother-in-law and right at this time she needed one.

A nurse offered to show Bobby the way as Jock and JR began to take hold of Sue-Ellen's bags. "Come on, Sue-Ellen. Time to go home" Miss Ellie told her kindly. Home, Sue-Ellen mused. Was it still home or was it really somewhere just to bide her time until she had made a decision about the future of her marriage? JR took hold of her arm in that controlling way that he sometimes did if they had a dispute or he was feeling jealous of the attention that she attracted from other men. "Come on darlin. We'll see Ella again first thing in the morning. Sue-Ellen felt trapped. Was this how it was going to be? Would JR leave her alone once she was back at Southfork as he and his parents had promised? Right now she couldn't stand to have him touch her. Once they had exited the hospital she shrugged herself firmly from his grasp.

JR felt dejected. Winning his young wife over wasn't going to be easy, no matter what his daddy thought, and the shiny new Mercedes convertible that awaited her at home was hardly likely to do the trick. Be patient and kind he told himself. The passion and love that they had between them was bound to surface once more and if a sustained charm offensive was what was necessary it would be worth it. Worth it to keep his beautiful wife and baby daughter by his side.

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	31. Chapter 32

Sue-Ellen was touched by the care that Miss Ellie had taken to make sure that her new bedroom was comfortable and welcoming. She had viewed JR's gift with rather more in the way of disdain although she thanked him politely which she appreciated would please her in-laws. Does he really think that he can buy me? she pondered. I loved him when I married him and conceived his child. Alright, the money and the comfort that it brought was a bonus but she would still have chosen him regardless of the issue of money.

Lucy was curious about her aunt's removal into a different room. "When you are older dear you will understand. Sue-Ellen is feeling sore and she still needs lots of rest. Plus she needs to be near to Ella's nursery when she comes home" her grandmother explained. "So she needs to be out of the way of uncle JR's snoring then?" the young girl giggled. "Something like that, yes."

Miss Ellie remained worried about the explanation to be given to Bobby concerning the strife that existed between JR and Sue-Ellen. If he did see his sister-in-law in a certain light he might try to take matters further, she worried. There is enough trouble in the family as it is without adding her youngest son into the mix. In the end she settled on what she thought was an anodyne explanation. "Sue-Ellen and JR have some issues between them that they are working on. They have always had a somewhat tempestuous relationship but they love each other and they now have that lovely little baby to focus on so I'm sure that things will be back to normal very soon."

Bobby was saddened to hear that Sue-Ellen was having a hard time. He knew full well what JR could be like but he had been forced to come to terms with the fact that his sister-in-law's heart belonged to him. He vowed to be supportive but to keep his distance and to throw himself back into work at Ewing Oil. During his time away he had learnt a lot about the business and he was feeling more confident and able as a result. His time away had also softened his father's anger with him as the dust settled on the Grace Kay affair. The Kay family's ire with the Ewings showed no sign of diminishing, however Bobby had been relieved to hear that Grace had sensibly returned to her studies at Harvard.

Over dinner the conversation turned, much to the dismay of Sue-Ellen, to the subject of the forthcoming Oil Barons' Ball. Since she had been married to JR she had always accompanied him to the event. JR liked to show his beautiful wife off in all her finery and Jock saw it as a sign of family strength and solidity that the Ewings turned out in force to the event. Quietly but firmly Sue-Ellen expressed her doubts about attending this year. "Ella will be home and I should really be with her" she said. "Nonsense, Sue-Ellen!" Jock countered "there will be the nanny to take care of her and it's only for one evening after all." Miss Ellie shot her husband a warning glance. She didn't want Sue-Ellen to feel under undue pressure. Things would have to be taken at her pace.

JR was much more diplomatic. "I understand completely if Sue-Ellen wants to give it a miss this year. I'm sure that folk will understand that she is a devoted new mother to our precious little girl." Sue-Ellen made eye contact with her husband. She was grateful that he had intervened and made such a sensitive concession on her behalf. It had prevented her from having to be assertive with Jock, something that she had always struggled with.

When she entered her bedroom to get ready for bed she found a single yellow rose resting on her pillow. He is making an effort, she thought, but she remained angry and hurt. Thoughts of JR were quickly superseded by Sue-Ellen's growing excitement to see her little daughter again. She and Miss Ellie had arranged to leave home at 9am sharp in the morning to spend the day at the hospital with Ella. She ached to see and hold her baby again. Her marriage came very much second to motherhood at that point and as she climbed into bed her only thoughts lay with caring for and loving Ella.

As planned Miss Ellie and Sue-Ellen were on the road at 9am. Much to JR's delight Sue-Ellen decided to take her new car. Progress is progress no matter how small, he thought. During the journey Sue-Ellen and her mother-in-law chatted amicably about Ella and motherhood in general. "I have regrets, you know. About JR. I handed him over to the care of his daddy way too soon" Miss Ellie confided. "It has made him hard and ruthless. However, I have a feeling that his love for that little girl and you will penetrate that harsh exterior." Sue-Ellen knew deep down that JR loved her. During her pregnancy he had shown it many times in different ways. It was his capacity to make rash and selfish decisions that worried her though.

After a very enjoyable morning looking after Ella Miss Ellie insisted on Sue-Ellen having a proper lunch. "New motherhood is exhausting, Sue-Ellen. You have to eat well to keep up your strength." Miss Ellie had noticed that Sue-Ellen's appetite had been much reduced since the birth of her baby and all the upset that she had gone through. She had hardly touched her dinner last night and this morning she had struggled to manage a piece of toast and some fresh grapefruit. "Come on. I know a very nice place, just round the corner from here. It will only take an hour." One of the nurses nodded in agreement. Ella was sleeping. She didn't need her mama at the moment.

Reluctantly Sue-Ellen followed Miss Ellie out of the hospital and onto the street. Ever since she had been a young girl if she was upset or stressed food had become the last thing on her mind. In the run-up to her wedding she had simply forgotten to eat causing mass panic over the last minute alterations that had to be made to her couture wedding gown. Once in the restaurant she had to admit that the atmosphere was nice and the menu was tempting. As she and Miss Ellie were discussing what to order a young man approached the table. "Mrs. Ewing, hello, how are you?" he addressed Miss Ellie. "Hello! I'm just fine. I heard that you were back in town after passing the Bar. District Attorney's office isn't it?" "Yes, I'm enjoying it very much, thank you." "How is your father?" Miss Ellie asked. "Same as ever, you know what he's like. Part of the reason for me coming back was to look after him." Sue-Ellen looked at the man. He was dark and handsome with attractive brown eyes, she thought. "Where are my manners?" Miss Ellie suddenly exclaimed. "This is Sue-Ellen, JR's wife." "Cliff Barnes" the man replied. His gaze as he took Sue-Ellen in was arresting.

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 **Author's note: thank you for the reviews. No chapter tomorrow. Work to be done :(**


	32. Chapter 33

"How do you do, Mrs. Ewing? JR sure is a lucky man" Cliff said as he took Sue-Ellen's hand to shake it. He had seen pictures of the new Mrs. Ewing in the society pages of the local newspapers but in the flesh she was absolutely stunning. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Barnes" Sue-Ellen politely replied. There was something instantly likeable about the man. He had fire in his eyes, she thought, a bit like JR. "Well I must not delay your lunch a minute longer ladies." "Give your father my best wishes" Miss Ellie said as Cliff took his leave.

Sue-Ellen had heard plenty about Digger Barnes in her time but she was largely in the dark about his children. JR was always utterly dismissive when he spoke about his father's one-time partner and now enemy. She wondered whether her husband and Cliff had ever crossed swords. Probably not, she thought. Cliff is a criminal lawyer and wouldn't be likely to move in the same circles as JR.

As Cliff walked out of the restaurant he turned once more to steal a glance at Sue-Ellen. A pang of jealousy struck him as he looked at her. Trust JR to capture such a beauty, he thought. He wondered how her husband treated her. Badly, he imagined.

To Cliff the Ewings had always seemed invincible. Jock Ewing had ruined his father's life and on the rare occasions that Cliff had encountered JR it had not taken him long to conclude that Jock's eldest son had definitely been cast in the same mould. The only Ewing who had ever expressed any kindness to Digger was Miss Ellie and it was for that reason that Cliff continued to hold her in high regard.

Sue-Ellen spent the remainder of the afternoon with Ella. Miss Ellie determined that she should allow mother and baby to spend some time on their own and so she had taken herself off to run some errands in town. Sue-Ellen was grateful to her mother-in-law for her sensitivity and kindness. She was also thrilled by how well Ella fed for her. "She will be home in no time at this rate" said one of the neonatal nurses "this little one has a good and hearty appetite. She screams the place down when she is due a feed."

Several minutes later JR arrived at the hospital. He stood for a few moments at the doorway to the unit watching his wife feeding Ella. It was delightful to see Sue-Ellen so comfortable with the care of their daughter, he thought. Sensing the presence of someone else Sue-Ellen looked up and saw JR. "JR, how long have you been there?" she asked. "Only a minute" he replied "it was such a pretty scene, I couldn't resist just watching." As he entered the room Sue-Ellen offered Ella to him. "Come to daddy my precious little girl" JR cooed as he took hold of his baby. "She needs winding, JR. Sit down over there and I will show you how." Sue-Ellen remained cool with him although secretly she had been touched by his words.

Sue-Ellen demonstrated to JR how to bring Ella's wind up. "Just pat her back gently til she burps" she advised. She had to giggle when Ella posseted ever so slightly on JR's expensive suit. "That's why it's better to have one of these muslin cloths over you when you do it." "No harm done" JR laughed. For a moment all seemed normal between them but JR should have known better than to push his luck. "Can I take you out for dinner this evening, darlin? Please?" Sue-Ellen froze. She knew all too well how charming and irresistible JR could be and it would be the easiest thing in the world just to let him back into her life. However, she remained tormented by Julie's words. Was what Sue-Ellen had always regarded as a fairytale courtship followed by a loving marriage just a cruel illusion? She knew that at some point she would have to talk to her husband and let him tell her his version of events but, at present, she didn't feel sufficiently robust to hold that conversation. She needed to focus all her energy on looking after her baby.

"No, JR. I'm not going out for dinner with you tonight or any time soon" she responded curtly. "Make no mistake that I am still undecided about whether we have a future together. We will talk but when I'm ready. You are not going to dictate to me any longer, JR." JR was angry at his wife's blunt rejection of him. In a quiet yet menacing tone he responded. "You had better not leave it too late, Sue-Ellen, or you may be facing a petition for divorce initiated by me. If you won't be by my side and meet my needs then there are plenty of other women who will." Sue-Ellen was stung by her husband's words. She wasn't stupid and she was only too aware that she was vulnerable in this situation. "Fine, JR, divorce me but you won't take Ella from me." It was a classic game of bluff that unnerved and saddened the young woman. Was this what her marriage had come down to?

Miss Ellie returned breaking the tense impasse that had resulted between her son and daughter-in-law. Instinctively, she realised that they had had words. Sue-Ellen appeared tearful and JR looked angry. "This is not good for Ella" Miss Ellie stated firmly. "I don't want to know what has just happened here but it can't be like this again. Frankly, JR, I am surprised at you turning up here and causing upset to Sue-Ellen. It's only days since she gave birth and I am all too aware of the circumstances in which she went into labour. Come on, Sue-Ellen. It's time to leave. You must be exhausted." Sue-Ellen kissed her baby and stroked her cheek. "Mama will see you tomorrow, sweetheart." She turned on her heels and followed Miss Ellie out of the room leaving JR alone with his daughter. As he looked into the little girl's eyes his anger and frustration turned to sadness. How could he ever make this right with Sue-Ellen? he thought. She won't even speak to me, hear my side of the story. Is it the end? he wondered as he gently placed Ella back in her incubator.

As she drove home Sue-Ellen contemplated a future without JR. It made her unhappy to think of being without him but his comment about finding someone else had been biting, all the more so because she felt it was true. JR could easily replace her if that was what he wanted. In normal circumstances she would already have resumed satisfying his sexual appetite by methods other than full lovemaking, thereby assuring him that the birth of their child had not diminished her desire for him. However, they were not even sharing the same bed any longer and she could not stand the thought of being intimate with him at present as she knew that thoughts of Julie would inevitably intrude.

She needed to make a decision. She still loved JR but she was unsure that they could just go back to how things were previously. Before she decided she needed advice about what would be in store for her if the worst came to the worst.

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	33. Chapter 34

When Sue-Ellen arrived home she told Miss Ellie that she intended to have a lie down before dinner. In fact, she had an altogether different motive for wanting to be alone. Once in her room she fumbled in the side pocket of her handbag and retrieved the business card that Dr. Scott had given her. She rang the number and quickly made an appointment for two weeks' time. She wanted to delay the appointment until after Ella was home. She reckoned she would have more in the way of freedom by then and if she had to take the baby with her she would.

Dinner was a subdued affair. Lucy and Bobby tried to keep the conversation going to lighten the atmosphere but the mood of the others around the table was patently sombre. "Sue-Ellen, please can I come with you to see Ella on Saturday?" Lucy asked. "Yes of course, it will be nice for Ella to spend some time with her cousin" Sue-Ellen replied. JR was irritated by the idea of his niece intruding on what should be his time with the baby but he had the wisdom to say nothing. He had alienated his young wife even further by pressurising her at the hospital earlier and he was desperate not to make things worse.

As Sue-Ellen went into her room she noticed another yellow rose placed carefully on her pillow. She popped it into a posy vase as she had done with the one the night before. She felt confused. JR had been cruel to her earlier but now he was being romantic. Or was it in fact manipulative? She made a spur of the moment decision to go and speak to her husband. She knocked quietly on his bedroom door. She didn't want the rest of the family to hear. As she entered the room JR was buttoning up his pyjama shirt. She was struck by how handsome he looked, the blue of his nightwear bringing out the piercing blue of his eyes. "What do you want, Sue-Ellen?" he asked. He was surprised to see her given their exchange at the hospital. He eyed his wife up. She was gorgeous and all the more attractive because she genuinely didn't know it.

"It's time for us to have that talk" Sue-Ellen replied. "Your mother was right. It won't do our little girl any good for us to be arguing all the time. You must understand that I have had a big shock and it has caused me to question whether there can be a future for us given what I now know." Sue-Ellen sat down on a chair. She didn't dare sit on the bed where JR had taken his place for fear that she would allow him to seduce her. He had always been hard to resist especially when he made her feel sorry for him.

"Let's start with what you know, or what you think you know." JR wasn't going to admit to anything without first knowing what he was facing. "She, that woman, who incidentally looks like a cheap piece of trash, told me that you and she had been having regular sex during the time that we were going out together. She said that you had accused me of being frigid." "Alright. Anything else?" JR's calm demeanour was unnerving. "She said she was with you when you went to the refinery too." Sue-Ellen didn't appreciate that JR was manipulating her. She just wanted to hear what he had to say. "Did she allege that we did anything together that night?" "No, I recall her saying that it was difficult to carry on working at Ewing Oil beause of what had occurred that night but she didn't say any more about it. You have to realise JR that I went into labour immediately afterwards so I wasn't really focused on receiving any more tawdry detail from her."

It wasn't as bad as JR had imagined. He had very much feared that Julie had made a much more explicit allegation about the refinery trip. Taking a deep breath he began to speak. "This is the truth, Sue-Ellen. You won't like some of it but I'm not going to lie to you any more. If we are going to get through this this is how it must be. When I first met you the feelings I had for you were extremely powerful. You were like no other woman that I had ever encountered before. Our courtship was drawn out because of your college studies. I respected fully the fact that you wanted to wait until our wedding night to make love for the first time. However, it wasn't easy for me. I'd been used to getting sex pretty much whenever I wanted it. I'm older than you remember. Julie and I had an on and off affair from before I met you. I'm ashamed to say that I was only interested in the sex and you will probably think I used her, which in retrospect I did. On occasion, no more than half a dozen times in our three years of going out together, I did have sex with her. I know it was wrong. I was selfish and, as you would no doubt say, usurious. However, I swear to you that I have not had sex with her since we were married. You give me all of the loving I need."

Sue-Ellen looked shocked and somewhat disgusted. JR gulped. "As for the refinery trip I took her along because I needed some leverage over the owner." "So you used her again? How can you be so cruel?" Sue-Ellen was beginning to feel a little sorry for Julie. "I did and I have lived to regret it. She deliberately set me up with the lipstick on my collar. I realise that now. However, I did not take her with me to have any form of sexual contact with her."

"Then why did you?" Sue-Ellen asked. "As I said I needed some leverage over Collins for business purposes." "You got her to sleep with him?" "No, God no. I know this sounds bad. She was eye candy for the old man. That's all" JR lied. He couldn't go the whole way to telling the truth to his wife. She would never understand.

JR stood up and approached her. "You and Ella are my world. Take as much time as you need but please don't leave me. What I said this afternoon was untrue- I couldn't bear to be married to anyone other than you. As usual I am impatient and want to run before I can walk. I love you Sue-Ellen." He placed his hand tenderly on her cheek. The ball was in her court now. Sue-Ellen stood up and made to leave the room. "Goodnight JR. I hope you understand that I need time to think."

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	34. Chapter 35

As Sue-Ellen got into bed she contemplated hers and JR's courtship. She had held out on going to bed with him partly because she felt it would be all the more romantic and special to wait until their wedding night but also because she needed to make sure that she would receive that all important proposal. JR was so handsome and suave compared to the boys at college. Whenever he arrived at her sorority house to pick her up the other girls would sigh jokingly. Some of them made no secret of their envy at Sue-Ellen for managing to capture JR's heart.

And yes, she mused, she had been aware of the effect that she had on him when their intimate encounters were so restricted. She would allow him to kiss and caress her, sometimes under her clothes, but that was as far as it went and she wasn't so innocent as not to notice that he often became erect. In some ways it felt good to have that power over him. She had assumed naively, however, that JR would relieve his pent up sexual energy by self-relief and not by going to another woman for satisfaction. She still felt sick when she thought about him with that tramp, Julie, however she wondered whether she was also blameworthy, at least to an extent.

As she snuggled down under the covers she recalled a day after they were engaged when she and JR had, unusually, been alone at Southfork. Even the staff had gone out. A little horseplay in the pool had been all it had taken to get JR in the mood. He had begged her to go upstairs with him to make love but, as usual, Sue-Ellen declined. "Come on darlin, please. I just want to show you how much I love you" he had pleaded. "We will be married in just a few weeks, JR. It will be all the more special if we wait" she had replied. The reality was that she had come very close that day to following him upstairs and letting him have sex with her. She had wanted him just as much as he had wanted her, however it now was clear that her willpower had been far stronger than his.

Her thoughts then wandered to their wedding night. JR liked a drink but he had deliberately limited his intake at the reception in much longed for anticipation of what was going to happen when they went off to the hotel that night. The atmosphere in their honeymoon suite was perfect. There were flowers everywhere, the finest orchids and white roses in keeping with the bridal theme. A bottle of the best champagne was on ice. JR drew Sue-Ellen to him and kissed her gently and then more passionately. She had let him undress her, even though she felt somewhat shy. She had also been pleased to see that he appreciated the effort that she had gone to for him with her wedding lingerie.

The first time was brief and not particularly enjoyable. JR had become over-excited and this had affected his performance. However, in the middle of the night when he made it clear that he wanted to do it again it had been way better and both of them had climaxed. After that, Sue-Ellen had to admit that making love with JR had always been such a pleasurable experience. Plus she never let him go short, even when pregnant. Perhaps he had been telling the truth when he said he hadn't had any sexual contact with Julie during his short trip to the refinery, she thought. Her mind then turned to the kiss that she had with Bobby. That had been a betrayal of JR, not that she was ever going to let him know about it.

Her emotions were all over the place. She wanted JR but couldn't yet come to terms with his betrayal of her and the lies that accompanied it when they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe she should carry on making him beg just like he had done that day when she had come so close to letting him go all the way with her? Make him appreciate just what he was missing perhaps? At that she felt a little better and drifted off to sleep.

In the days that followed when Sue-Ellen wasn't visiting her beloved Ella she turned her attention to her figure. On top of the weight that she had instantly lost following the birth she had already dropped ten pounds through her upset and consequent lack of appetite. With slight narcissism she wanted to get back in shape as quickly as possible to keep JR interested but also because she had an image to preserve in Dallas society. She now felt strong enough to swim and ride and with regular effort she soon liked what she was seeing in the mirror once again. Sue-Ellen had always been slender and athletic. However, having had a child had altered her shape and by no means in a bad way. Her breasts remained bigger than they had been before and she now had a slim but more curvaceous shape.

His wife's improved figure was not lost on JR. He liked to watch her through his bedroom window as she ploughed up and down the pool. She is so sexy, he thought. In turn Sue-Ellen came to enjoy initiating small acts of physical contact with JR. Every now and then she would, for example, touch his hand as she passed the salt or the water jug over dinner. The sexual tension that this created between them was electric. She also took great pride in passing him wearing only her bathing suit. She knew it turned him on.

As Sue-Ellen began to contemplate a future with JR in which she would determinedly retain the upper hand both of them were delighted to be informed that Ella was now ready to be brought home. The excitement felt by them and the rest of the family was palpable. Lucy, in particular, couldn't wait to have her little cousin home. She was keen to show Ella to her best friend, Muriel, who was already a little bit envious of the fact that Lucy would have a sweet little companion in the family.

JR and Sue-Ellen travelled to the hospital to collect Ella together. It was the first time that they had been in the same vehicle together since the baby was born. Both of them were very happy though and their estrangement was placed on temporary hold by the common purpose of bringing their daughter home. At the hospital Sue-Ellen thoughtfully handed gifts to the nurses who had looked after her and Ella so well. Boxes of the finest Belgian chocolates, beautifully packaged and wrapped, had been bought by her in the days leading to Ella's discharge. The nurses were touched by this show of gratitude. "Mrs. Ewing sure has class" remarked the nurse who had been so kind and helpful to Sue-Ellen during the first few hours of her baby's life. JR had always been impressed by Sue-Ellen's impeccable manners. They reflected as well on him as they did on her, he thought, as she handed out the gifts.

He struggled to fit Ella's car seat properly causing his wife to giggle. Gently she removed his hand from the seatbelt and fitted the seat herself. Minutes later their precious little cargo was ready to go. As they drove away JR was keen not to disturb what was for the first time in ages an atmosphere of harmony between him and his wife. Accordingly, he confined their conversation to the baby who had fallen asleep quickly after the start of the journey.

When they arrived home Sue-Ellen purposely allowed JR to take Ella out of the car. Beaming with pride he carried her carefully into the house to his excited family. In the midst of everyone vying to cuddle Ella, Miss Ellie remembered something. "Oh Sue-Ellen, your mother rang. She wants to come to stay this weekend." Sue-Ellen and JR both looked horrified. "Don't worry I haven't committed to anything yet" Miss Ellie reassured them. " However, I have a feeling that Patricia would be suspicious if we put her off."

Sue-Ellen knew that her mother-in-law was right. Her mind was in turmoil. She hadn't yet decided what to do about her marriage. She had postponed the appointment with the attorney but it was definitely just a postponement and not a cancellation because she was interested to know what her rights would be if a reconciliation proved impossible.

She looked at JR. "What are we going to do?"

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	35. Chapter 36

Once Ella had been settled in the nursery JR's and Sue-Ellen's attention turned to the proposed visit by Patricia. "It's only natural that she wants to see her little grandaughter" Sue-Ellen said. "It's your call, Sue-Ellen. If you want your mother here she is going to have to be told that there are problems between us though." JR was being manipulative. He knew full well that his wife wouldn't want to go there with her mother, not at this stage. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "No JR I don't want her to know, at least not yet. She meddles and is forthright in her views. I don't want or need her influence to help me to make a decision about us. If I wanted her advice I'd have asked for it already." This was just what JR wanted to hear. He didn't want to risk his mother-in-law marching Sue-Ellen off to a divorce lawyer.

"So?" he asked. "So, I will move back into our room, temporarily mind, and we will just continue the charade that we started just after I gave birth." "Fine" he replied. Once she was back in close proximity to him he planned to work on them reconciling fully. The phone call was made that evening in which Sue-Ellen expressed her delight at the prospect of her mother and little sister coming to stay. "We can only stay the weekend though, dear. It's still term-time and Kristin mustn't miss any school" Patricia informed her. "I'll book our flights for Friday evening then." "Looking forward to it" Sue-Ellen replied disingenuously. Friday was only a couple of days away. The sooner the visit was over the better, she thought to herself.

That night JR and Sue-Ellen had their first taste of proper parenthood. Whether it was her new environment or a slight change to the routine that had been established in hospital, Ella had a very unsettled night. Sue-Ellen was secretly impressed with her husband's response. Instead of staying in bed and letting her deal with it, as she imagined was likely to be the case, JR was a very hands-on father. Between them they took it in turns walking around the nursery with their daughter who was screaming loudly. They also shared the feeding and changing of her. When she finally settled it was 4am and the new parents were exhausted. "Do you think we should have the nanny in overnight, at least some of the time?" JR asked. "Give it a couple more nights and we'll see" his wife replied.

The following day Sue-Ellen busied herself with the removal of some of her clothes and things back into her old bedroom. She didn't think it was right to ask Teresa to do it a second time. Thankfully, Ella was much more settled and this gave Sue-Ellen the opportunity to deal with the task. Miss Ellie interrupted her as she went back and forth between the rooms. "What's happening Sue-Ellen?" Secretly she hoped that her son and daughter-in-law had put their problems behind them in the wake of bringing their baby home. She was disappointed when Sue-Ellen explained.

"Alright, so the family will all have to be on side with this then. I can understand you not wanting to worry your mother" said Miss Ellie. She was being diplomatic. She knew that Sue-Ellen's and Patricia's relationship was strained and that the former would not want the latter to know that her marriage was in trouble. "I'll deal with Jock, Bobby and Lucy. Don't worry. The one thing we Ewings do very well is to put on a united front."

Friday came all too quickly particularly as Sue-Ellen and JR continued to have sleepless nights with their little daughter in the meantime. Jock cut JR some slack by allowing him to work from home. This gave him the chance to catch up on his sleep at quiet times during the day. Between them Miss Ellie and the nanny made sure that Sue-Ellen also got some much-needed rest. However, the vast majority of Ella's care was carried out by her doting parents. JR is making a real effort, Sue-Ellen thought to herself as she watched him cuddling Ella after a night feed. She could feel herself falling back in love with him although she remained worried about the future if she stayed with him.

On Friday evening JR picked Patricia and Kristin up from the airport and drove them back to Southfork. He kept the conversation light and upbeat during the journey, feigning interest in Kristin's progress at school and talking about Ella. When they reached the house the first thing that Patricia noticed was the new Mercedes that JR had bought for Sue-Ellen. If he treats her this well after giving him a daughter, how much better will it be when she presents him with a son? she pondered. Her interest in all things mercenary knew no bounds.

As they walked into the house it was obvious that Sue-Ellen had gone to great effort to continue the myth that all was well between her and JR. She was wearing a lovely violet, silk wrap dress and high heels. JR was surprised to see that she had offset her outfit with the pearls and matching earrings. She looked amazing, he thought. Patricia could tell that JR was pleased with his wife's appearance. She was relieved to see that her daughter was in such good shape. A man like JR would soon get fed up with a chubby wife who made no effort, she thought. Good for Sue-Ellen. "Hello dear! You look very well" Patricia greeted Sue-Ellen. She was the mistress of understatement, particularly when it came to giving her daughter compliments.

"Hello mother, Kristin. How was the flight?" As Patricia made to answer Sue-Ellen approached JR and gave him a long lingering kiss on the lips. "I'm glad you're back. I missed you." Lucy pulled a face and smirked at Kristin. She hadn't seen such a public display of affection between her aunt and uncle for ages, she thought to herself. JR was delighted by the kiss even if it was all part of the charade. She hadn't needed to do it although he understood Sue-Ellen's keeness to put on a very convincing front for her mother.

As they all climbed the stairs to pile into the nursery to see Ella, JR touched Sue-Ellen's hand lightly. They smiled at each other. At this rate they would get through the weekend without disaster, Sue-Ellen thought.

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	36. Chapter 37

After Patricia had spent a good deal of time fussing over her baby grandaughter the family settled down to dinner. Miss Ellie, always the perfect hostess, had chosen the menu with care and the food was delicious. Kristin and Lucy sat together and chatted politely, mainly about school. There was something about Kristin that Lucy didn't particularly like but she couldn't put her finger on it. Lucy also felt sorry for Sue-Ellen having a mother like Patricia. She didn't know what was really going on with her aunt and uncle. There was something not right. However, she had been warned by her grandmother to be very careful about what she said during the forthcoming weekend and she was sensible enough to realise that she had to comply.

"I read in one of the society columns that the Oil Barons' Ball is coming up soon. I take it that there will be the usual Ewing table?" Patricia was angling for an invitation. She would love to be able to boast to people that she was attending as a guest of her rich and powerful in-laws. "Yes it's just a week away, next Saturday in fact" Jock replied. He knew what Patricia was up to but there was no way that she was being invited. He looked to Miss Ellie for assistance. "We would love you to come, Patricia..." Sue-Ellen and JR froze. "However, our table is full I am afraid. Jock has invited some guests. Hospitality and marketing reasons, you understand." Miss Ellie had once more come to the rescue. Patricia looked disappointed but quickly put on a brave face. "Yes of course, most important to keep business buoyant, especially for the future now that JR and Sue-Ellen have started their family. Sue-Ellen, have you chosen a gown?"

Sue-Ellen awkwardly explained that she had bought a gown but that was when she was expecting to be in the late stages of pregnancy by the time of the event and now it would be way too big on her. "In any case," she went on, "now that Ella is here I'm reluctant to leave her." "Nonsense!" exclaimed her mother. "It's only for a few hours. Ella will be just fine with her nanny. She'll probably sleep right through it." If Patricia wasn't going to be invited she certainly wanted to be able to tell her friends all about her daughter being there. "I agree" replied Jock tactlessly. As ever he was bothered about appearances. Complete family stability and harmony was the illusion that he wanted to maintain to all the other oilmen. Miss Ellie shot him a warning glance, however it was too late.

"Well that's settled. How about we go into town tomorrow and pick out a more suitable gown then?" Patricia enquired. Sue-Ellen was trapped. "Yes, alright mother." Instinctively she inclined her body closer to JR, as if for protection. JR misinterpreted the gesture. He was too busy enjoying her closeness to him to judge her mood.

Bobby was uncharacteristically quiet over dinner. He was also in on the family charade. It made him feel uneasy and uncomfortable to have to put on a show. However, he thought enough of Sue-Ellen not to want her to be upset. All the talk about the ball had also unsettled him. He had nobody to accompany him and he was worried about encountering the Kay family.

The family sat up after dinner chatting and enjoying their night-caps. Sue-Ellen went up to check on Ella. She took the opportunity to say goodnight to the others at the same time. There was no way that she was getting undressed for bed in JR's presence. JR got the hint even though it made him feel a little sad. Previously they had always been very easy between them about nudity. He loved seeing his wife naked and he longed to see her new and improving body without clothes.

He gave Sue-Ellen half an hour. Knowing her usual nightime routine that should be enough to ensure that she was ready for bed, he thought. When he entered the bedroom Sue-Ellen was sitting up in bed flicking through a magazine. He could tell that she was annoyed. He sat down beside her. "Darlin, what's the matter? We've got your mother licked." "It's not that JR. It's the fact that between the two of them your daddy and my mother have railroaded me into attending the ball and you did nothing to intervene. How many times do I have to say it? I don't want to go. I'm not ready to be seen out with you yet. It's one thing pretending to be happy in front of my mother but putting on the same show in the presence of all of your business rivals is another!"

JR knew he had messed up again. He just couldn't seem to do right for doing wrong these days. He decided on a conciliatory approach. "Look, you don't have to go if you don't want to. Once your mother has left I'll square it with daddy." He gently stroked her cheek. "Please don't think that I don't want you there with me though. Nothing could be further from the truth. It has always been such a thrill to have the prettiest girl on my arm. Now come on, you need your sleep. It won't be long before Ella needs her feed."

Ten minutes later JR got into bed. He wanted to touch his wife, put his arm over her and cuddle up close. However, he didn't dare to. He had only just managed to avert an argument about the Oil Barons' Ball and he didn't want to be in any more bother with his wife. Sue-Ellen also lay awake thinking about the evening. JR was really trying, she thought, and the electricity between them when she kissed him earlier had been so powerful. Her body wasn't yet ready to resume lovemaking but she thought about it. A lot. She missed the tenderness between them as well as the passion of their physical encounters. Sighing deeply she tried to get to sleep.

When they woke the following morning they were delighted by the fact that their baby daughter had had her most settled night to date. Other than waking for a feed at 3am Ella had been as good as gold. Sue-Ellen also felt better rested by having been back in her own bed. She was feeling more positive and she decided to celebrate with some retail therapy. She would go out with her mother for a new evening gown. Even if she didn't end up wearing it to the Oil Barons' Ball Christmas was coming up and she would certainly wear it at some event or the other over the festive period. The shopping trip would also serve a dual purpose- to get Patricia out of the family's way for a little while. She realised that her mother could be quite unbearable in large doses.

Leaving Kristin to go riding with a reluctant yet compliant Lucy, Sue-Ellen and her mother set off for town. Patricia admired the smart interior of her daughter's new car as they set off. When they arrived they made their way to The Store. It wasn't Sue-Ellen's favourite place to shop for clothes ordinarily but it carried the largest stock of designer evening wear in Dallas.

The arrival of Mrs. JR Ewing in the department store was a big deal. The two most senior womenswear assistants were assigned to meet her every need. The more she spent, the more commission they would earn. One of them settled Patricia down with a glass of champagne in the VIP dressing area whilst gown after gown was brought out for Sue-Ellen to try on. She looked fabulous in all of them but in the end settled for a red, strapless Dior number that accentuated her figure perfectly. "That will definitely turn heads at the ball" Patricia remarked, impressed by the good taste that she had instilled into her daughter.

Sue-Ellen then decided to treat herself a little more. A further three outfits later with shoes and she was done. As they stood at the counter watching the assistants carefully wrapping the purchases in tissue paper Sue-Ellen and Patricia were unaware that they were being watched. It was Cliff and he was mesmerised by the beautiful Mrs. Ewing.

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	37. Chapter 38

The rest of Patricia's visit went without incident. JR and Sue-Ellen continued to play the model couple and no suspicion was aroused. After she and Kristin had left Sue-Ellen made the decision not to move out of the room she and her husband shared once again. "This doesn't mean that anything has changed, JR" she warned him. "It's only because it is more spacious and comfortable in here." JR had learnt not to push things along too quickly but was secretly very pleased by the development.

In fact, Sue-Ellen's feelings were changing. She was in awe of the ease with which JR had become involved in the care of their daughter. He absolutely adored Ella and in turn she was very settled with her daddy. Furthermore, as Sue-Ellen's body started to get back to normal she began to think more and more about her physical relationship with her husband. She hadn't realised how important sex had been in their relationship before and now she was missing it.

However, she was still anxious about what the future might hold if she reconciled with JR. Therefore she re-made the appointment with the attorney recommended to her by Dr. Scott. She then had to come up with an excuse to go into town. "I've lost a little more weight and I need to have an alteration made to my new gown" she explained to Miss Ellie "would you mind having Ella for the afternoon please?" "I'd be delighted" Miss Ellie replied "however, I sensed that you were having doubts about going to the ball while your mother was here. Don't feel that you have to attend if you don't want to, Sue-Ellen." "I don't. Things are slowly moving in the right direction between me and JR. He is making a massive effort and whilst I can't forgive him completely just yet I think he deserves to have me by his side on Saturday night" Sue-Ellen responded. She was telling the truth, at least in part. Her gown needed no alteration as it fitted perfectly, however her feelings about being seen out with her husband had changed.

Sue-Ellen's attorney turned out to be a no-nonsense yet glamorous woman in her forties. She felt sorry for the young woman after being told what she had been through at the hands of her powerful husband. The name JR Ewing didn't phase her either. She had taken on mightier men than him in the past and won. "It's really quite straightforward, Mrs. Ewing. If you leave your husband he will have to re-house you and pay you a generous amount of alimony and child support on top" she advised. "Yes but what about my daughter?" Sue-Ellen asked anxiously. "That's the more complicated part because you have just told me that he is a wonderful father. You might be looking at joint custody unless..." "Unless what?" Sue-Ellen was horrified. She couldn't be without her baby even if only for part of the week. "Unless we can prove that his moral compass is so skewed that Ella's emotional and psychological development might suffer as a result. He would still be afforded visitation rights even in those circumstances though." Sue-Ellen stood up. "Thank you very much. You have been most helpful and have given me much to think about." " It's my job. Please get in touch again when you have made your decision."

Sue-Ellen didn't wish to appear weak however, in reality, there was no decision for her to make. She couldn't risk being without her baby. She wondered if JR's behaviour towards their daughter was a front designed to keep Ella at Southfork in the event that she decided to leave but dismissed the thought almost immediately. No, he was a wonderful father and there was no way that he would harm his child even if the worst came to the worst in his marriage, she thought.

The balance of the week was taken up with caring for Ella and in between times getting ready for the Oil Barons' Ball. Sue-Ellen stepped up her exercise regime and treated herself to a number of appointments at her favourite hair and beauty salon. JR was delighted that his wife had agreed to accompany him. Bobby was less enthusiastic however. He had a feeling of foreboding and wasn't looking forward to the event in the slightest.

When the night of the ball arrived JR was thrilled to see how beautiful Sue-Ellen looked. The pillar box red of her gown suited her down to the ground and her figure looked amazing. Her outfit was accentuated by a sparkling diamond necklace that JR had given her on their first anniversary. Sue-Ellen had offset them with a pair of diamond drop earrings that had been another gift from her husband, this time at Christmas. "Oh Sue-Ellen!" he exclaimed. "I have never seen you look more beautiful than you do now. Er other than our wedding day, I mean." He felt awkward about complimenting her these days and was anxious not to say the wrong thing. "Thank you JR. You look very handsome" she replied and she meant it. They were quickly joined by the rest of the family. "I can't wait to be able to go" said Lucy. "You will do one day" her grandmother reassured her.

A limousine had been booked to take the family to the ball. When they left the house Sue-Ellen and JR were relieved to know that Ella was fast asleep upstairs in her cot. The nanny had everything under control. As they neared the venue Sue-Ellen suddenly felt nervous. Could she and JR actually pull this off? She pondered. JR sensed his wife's unease and gently patted her hand. He was surprised but delighted by her response as she gently kissed his cheek. Miss Ellie smiled to herself. They are getting back on track, she thought. As ever Jock was all puffed up with pride and excitement. The Ewings were out in force and their fine clothes and jewellery showed the rest of the oil community that they were as successful as ever. They would own that ballroom, he thought.

Bobby stared sullenly out of the window as the car drew up to the red carpet. As the family exited the limo they were spotted. Cliff had been invited to the ball by John Kay and his wife. Mr. Kay was hoping that Cliff would be able to help Grace to secure a position in the District Attorney's office after her graduation and this was his way of ingratiating himself with the man. Cliff stared at Jock and JR. He hated them. However, his spirits were lifted to see Sue-Ellen. She was achingly beautiful, he thought. He had to find a way of getting to speak to her and he didn't care one bit if it incurred the wrath of JR Ewing.

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	38. Chapter 39

All eyes were on the Ewing family as they entered the ballroom. Sue-Ellen's gown was the immediate topic of discussion amongst many of the ladies. Most of them were complimentary about it but there were a few who, obviously jealous, couldn't help but make pointed and catty remarks. Jock led the way over to the Ewing table shaking hands and slapping the backs of his fellow oilmen as he went. Miss Ellie was stopped by Mavis Anderson for a few moments. They chatted animatedly about the new addition to the Ewing family and admired each other's gowns. JR and Sue-Ellen followed Jock. On their way people took the opportunity to congratulate them on the birth of their daughter. "I bet JR was less than thrilled to have a girl as his first born" Marilee Stone remarked to one of her guests. She had always felt hostility towards the young Mrs. Ewing. The fact that she was younger and more beautiful than her irked her.

Bobby's entrance was noted by Mr. and Mrs. Kay. They glared at him as he unfortunately had no choice but to make his way right past their table. John Kay muttered something under his breath but exactly what was said was imperceptible. However, it had the desired effect of making Bobby feel uneasy. As JR and Sue-Ellen went to take their seats JR spotted Cliff. He was conversing with Mrs. Kay. "Good God, who in their right mind would invite that idiot Barnes to this event?" JR remarked rhetorically. "It's obviously an attempt to irritate or embarrass us that the Kays have invited him" Jock replied. "It won't work though. Just don't rise to anything boys" he warned JR and Bobby. Sue-Ellen looked over to the Kay table. As she did so she made eye contact briefly with Cliff. Did he just wink at me? she mused as she took a sip of her champagne.

Cliff had indeed winked at her. He was strongly attracted to the beautiful young woman but there was also a part of him that wanted to annoy the Ewings and by pursuing Sue-Ellen he would surely achieve just that. Once the initial nervousness had subsided Sue-Ellen began to enjoy herself. Dinner was quite delicious and Jock made sure that the wine kept flowing. Sue-Ellen's body was no longer accustomed to alcohol. She took tiny sips and alternated with mineral water however, by the time the meal had ended, she felt a little giddy.

JR made an attentive companion to his wife during dinner and Sue-Ellen was most appreciative of his efforts. By paying so much attention to her JR was oblivious to the fact that Cliff had been unable to take his eyes off her. However, Sue-Ellen was aware of it. A small part of her was flattered. It was good to know that she was still attractive to the opposite sex. Cliff smiled at her and she shyly returned the smile. It wouldn't do any harm to make JR just a tad jealous, she thought.

Meanwhile Bobby was attracting a different and much more negative kind of attention. Mrs. Kay was gradually working herself up to say something to the love-rat who almost ruined her beloved daughter's life. The fact was that even though Grace had returned to her studies her experience with Bobby had changed her. She was no longer the vibrant girl she used to be. Instead, she had become more serious and subdued. Graduating from law school at the top of her class had become almost an obsession these days and it worried her parents. Bobby couldn't help but notice that Mr. and Mrs. Kay were staring at him. He shifted nervously in his seat as he tried to avert their gaze.

As the band began to play JR nervously invited Sue-Ellen to dance. He was pleased when she accepted. Their dancing started out very formal and somewhat at arms' length but after several songs Sue-Ellen began to relax in her husband's arms. It felt so good to have her back in his arms, JR thought. It was Jock who interrupted them. "Time to get down to business, JR." JR realised instantly what his father meant. Socialising and networking were necessary at such an event but at that point JR couldn't help but feel a little irritated. "It's fine, JR" Sue-Ellen commented as they left the dance floor "I understand." JR touched her hand. "I'll be back soon, I promise. Will you dance with me again?" Sue-Ellen nodded.

Thereafter, Sue-Ellen got caught up in a conversation with Miss Ellie and some of the other women. However, she soon became bored and decided to excuse herself to visit the ladies' room. She wanted to check her hair and make-up. As she returned to the ballroom she encountered Cliff. "Mrs. Ewing, you do look lovely tonight. Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked obsequiously as he backed her into a corner. Sue-Ellen felt nervous but managed to respond that she was indeed enjoying herself. "If you were with me I wouldn't leave your side for one second" Cliff teased. "Oh wouldn't you Barnes? She's my wife and you have no right talking to her." JR's voice was raised as he flew across the room to confront his enemy. "We were just talking JR. Can't your wife talk to who she likes?" Cliff replied. "Are you afraid that I will take her away from you like your daddy took all those oil fields from my father?"

JR had had enough. Before Cliff could take avoidant action he punched him hard on the chin, knocking him to the floor. "Did you all see that?" Cliff shouted as he made to get up. "JR Ewing can't control his temper. Are you like that with your wife as well?" he laughed. The latter insult was all that was needed to cause Jock and Bobby to fly to JR's defence. This time it was Bobby who punched Cliff. "You're scum Barnes just like your daddy, get out of here!" Jock shouted. The room came to a standstill as people stared, enjoying the confrontation. Whilst the vast majority of people present wouldn't have dreamed of getting involved one person did- John Kay.

"He's the one that needs to get out, Jock. Your precious son, Bobby. He shouldn't even be here. Hang your head in shame boy." As his wife looked on John took the opportunity to punch Bobby. It was a clean blow to the jaw. Sue-Ellen and Miss Ellie looked helplessly on as all hell broke loose. The five men were now engaged in a full-on fight. The spectacle was not only unnerving but mortifying to Sue-Ellen. What would her mother say when she reads of the Ewings brawling at the ball in the society columns? she thought worriedly.

She decided to leave before she could be captured in any of the press photographs. "This will make such great copy" she heard a journalist remark. In total panic she got into the Ewing limo and instructed the driver to take her home. She felt jittery and tearful. She was also very angry with her husband. How dare he make such a spectacle of himself and me? she thought.

By the time she got back to the house she was feeling calmer. Being back with her baby and away from all the mess that JR had created was all she wanted.

It was another hour before the rest of the family returned home. The fight had been broken up and a call to the police averted. Sue-Ellen wasn't the only one to be angry though. Miss Ellie was fuming with her husband and sons. The drive home accordingly took place in silence, the three men anxious not to set her off. When JR entered the bedroom nursing a split lip and a very sore hand Sue-Ellen was finishing getting ready for bed. She studiously ignored her husband, preferring to glare at him silently instead.

"Well say something darlin even if it's only to tell me off." JR broke the silence. "I am sorry, Sue-Ellen." "Sorry? It seems these days that you are always sorry for something, JR. I'm sick of it!" Sue-Ellen shrieked in reply. "Please sugar, don't shout. I don't want mama to be upset again" JR pleaded. However, it was no use. Sue-Ellen was becoming hysterical. "Do you know what JR? You made a mess of our marriage and I hate you!" Finding strength that she didn't know she had she began pushing JR backwards. "Get away from me!" As she pushed him one more time JR fell on his back on the bed and Sue-Ellen fell on top of him. Taking the back of her hair JR pulled her face to his and began kissing her. "Get off me! I hate you!" "Well I love you, Sue-Ellen. Enough now!"

She tried to but she couldn't resist him. His passion was contagious. Sue-Ellen suddenly began kissing JR back, deep and hard. "I love you" he repeated. "I love you" she replied between kisses. JR giggled. She belonged to him once more.

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	39. Chapter 40

JR and Sue-Ellen lay on the bed kissing, whispering declarations of love for each other every so often. As their passion intensified Sue-Ellen felt it necessary to put the brakes on a little. "I can't make love with you yet, JR. I haven't had my post-natal check up. We have to leave it six weeks at least following Ella's birth. It's not that I don't want to, believe me I do. I really do."

"It's OK darlin. I can wait even though I admit it's very hard. You are so gorgeous and I was so proud of you tonight. However, the last thing that I would want is to hurt you in some way" JR replied. "The main thing is that we are back together. Ironic that it took that fool Cliff Barnes to bring us back to where we should be. If he knew he'd be very mad" JR laughed. "Perhaps I should give him a call in the morning to thank him."

"No, my love. I want all this nonsense to be put behind us. It's bad enough that you, your daddy and brother will be splashed all over the papers tomorrow. What is my mother going to say?" "I don't care. We Ewings stick together and if someone expresses disrespect we sort it out in the good old fashioned Texan way." He didn't show it but JR remained angered by Cliff's words and behaviour at the ball. How dare he make a play for Sue-Ellen and suggest that she was ill-treated by him? JR resolved to go out of his way to make Cliff's life a misery and he had a very good idea of how to go about it.

They began kissing again. Sue-Ellen could feel that her husband was aroused. She wanted him inside her but knew that this would have to wait until just after Christmas. To please him she freed his manhood from his pants and stroked him gently. JR moaned quietly as she did so. He had his girl back and nobody would take her away from him now.

Things were nowhere nearly as harmonious in Miss Ellie's and Jock's bedroom. Miss Ellie had kept quiet during the journey home. She didn't want the chauffeur to hear any of her private family business. However, once back she had sent Bobby and JR to bed like naughty schoolboys and then saved the rest of her ire for her husband. "My goodness, Jock. You are in your sixties and yet you think it decent to engage in brawling with your foes as if in some backstreet bar. And at the Oil Barons' Ball of all places! When are you ever going to get over what happened all those years ago with Digger? I'm tired of it."

Jock took her admonishment without argument. The reality though was that he had thoroughly enjoyed himself. Jock thrived on conflict and it had made him feel young and alive to fight alongside his sons. Plus, John Kay had what was coming to him. Bobby might have been foolish in his dalliance with Grace but he wasn't a cad or a player. Far from it. As for that idiot son of Digger Barnes. Did he really think that as a District Attorney he could start throwing his weight around with the Ewings? He had made a shameless play for Sue-Ellen and JR had done what any decent Texan man would do. He had defended his wife, he thought, just like he had defended his relationship with Miss Ellie all those years ago when Digger had made it plain that he wanted her for himself.

"I'm sorry Ellie" Jock replied disingenuously. He just wanted to restore harmony with his wife. Miss Ellie had, however, become distracted by another topic. That of her eldest son and his wife. "She just fled, Jock. She was far too fragile to be there tonight witnessing everything that went on. I'm worried" she advised her husband.

"I could hear her voice after JR went upstairs. It was raised and angry at first but then it all went very quiet." "That could be a good thing, you never know" Jock replied, trying to be constructive and conciliatory. "Hmm. In some ways they are like we were when we were younger. Fiery but loving. I do believe that JR loves Sue-Ellen and I know for sure that she loves him. I could tell by the way that they were looking at each other this evening" Miss Ellie responded. At that she allowed Jock to give her a reassuring hug. She never could stay angry with him for long.

As JR and Sue-Ellen settled down for bed their attention turned to Christmas, their first with little Ella. "Just after, let's go away for a few days. We can take Ella. Let's go back to the Lake House" JR suggested. This was where he planned on resuming a full and very active love life with his wife. Weeks of celibacy had nearly killed him and he couldn't wait until they were over. "That's a lovely idea. Just the three of us" Sue-Ellen sighed in reply. She had lost the will to carry on fighting with JR. She was in love with him, deeply and madly. "Things will get back to normal now, JR?" she queried. "Oh they sure will honey. You'll see. I can be the husband and father that you want and deserve me to be. I promise."

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	40. Chapter 41

Miss Ellie opened her copy of the Sunday newspaper with trepidation. She knew that there would be an article of some sort about what had happened at the Oil Barons' Ball. Pushing her spectacles further up her nose she began leafing through the pages. When she got to the relevant page, a gossip column, she sighed deeply causing Jock to look up from his breakfast. "Oh dear, Jock. We will be the talk of the town" she commented. She got up and handed the paper over to her husband. A full page article was headed by a photograph of JR punching Cliff as his father and brother looked on. It read as follows:

 _There was drama at the annual Oil Barons' Ball yesterday evening when a fight broke out. It involved two of the city's most prominent families, the Ewings of Ewing Oil and the Kays of Kay Holdings It appears to have emanated from an argument between JR Ewing, the eldest of the Ewing sons, and Cliff Barnes who is the local District Attorney. The cause of the argument is not specifically known however there are rumours that it involved JR Ewing's wife. Sue-Ellen Ewing is a former Miss Texas and an active member of the DOA. She recently gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter. Onlookers spoke of an encounter between Mrs. Ewing and Mr. Barnes that appears to have angered JR Ewing. Mrs. Ewing fled the scene after the fight broke out._

 _It is understood that JR Ewing threw the first punch followed by his younger brother, Bobby. Bobby Ewing is reputed to be something of a playboy these days. A short-lived relationship between him and John Kay's daughter is understood to have have been the precipitator for Mr. Kay becoming involved in the skirmish. Punk Anderson, the host of the ball, declined to comment on the incident other than to say that matters were now resolved and no further action was warranted._

"Pathetic nonsense" Jock muttered passing the paper back to his wife. " That rag never has any proper news to report. Anyway where are JR and Sue-Ellen this morning?" "I heard them up with Ella about 6am. She was due a feed. I think they are having a lie-in" Miss Ellie replied diplomatically. She had been awoken by the baby's crying and had come out of the bedroom just to check that her parents were attending to her. As she peered into the nursery she was pleasantly surprised to see her son give his wife a tender kiss as she sat feeding the baby. It might have taken a fight followed by an embarrassing article in a gossip column but it was worth it if it had brought the pair of them back together, she thought.

JR and Sue-Ellen were lying in bed together, both of them wide awake. Their marathon kissing session showed no signs of abating. JR wanted to go further, not all the way, but he was frightened of putting Sue-Ellen under too much pressure. They needed to consolidate their reconciliation with a proper discussion first. He was shocked, however, when Sue-Ellen sat up and lifted her nightgown over her head exposing her toned yet curvaceous body to him. JR already knew from the look and feel of her that his wife had worked very hard to restore her figure however he hadn't banked on her looking as good as this without her clothes. "You are stunning, sugar" he commented in a low, sexy growl. "You are allowed to touch me, JR" Sue-Ellen replied. He didn't need any more encouragement as his hands made their way directly to her breasts. "Mmm, these feel so good. Don't lose any more weight, darlin. I like them fuller like this" he whispered. Sue-Ellen giggled and then kissed him passionately on the lips. JR broke off from the kiss to suck on his wife's nipples. Sue-Ellen responded by grasping the back of her husband's hair. He was making her wet. "Touch me, JR. Make me come, please. It's been so long." JR knew exactly what to do and where the right spot was. Within seconds he had his wife writhing in ecstasy on the bed. After she had climaxed she decided that it would be unfair not to return the favour. As she took him in hand there was a knock on the door. Sue-Ellen quickly pulled the bedclothes up over her as JR hastily made a grab for his dressing gown. He answered the door to his mother. "I'm sorry to disturb you both, however Sue-Ellen's mother is on the phone and she doesn't sound pleased." Miss Ellie thrust the newspaper at JR and looked at him meaningfully. "Sue-Ellen she wants to speak to you."

"Oh no, mama. I'll handle Mrs. Shephard" JR responded angrily. "If she thinks she is going to cause my wife any more upset she has another think coming."

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	41. Chapter 42

JR was annoyed at having to take Patricia's call not least because of its timing. He had been enjoying himself with Sue-Ellen. Their newly restored closeness had come as a massive relief to him. He loved Sue-Ellen and wanted to get his life with her back on an even keel.

"Hello, Patricia." "Oh JR I was expecting to speak to Sue-Ellen" the woman replied expressing just a tad irritation. "Sue-Ellen is busy with Ella" JR lied. There was no point alienating Sue-Ellen and her mother any further. Things were bad enough as they were. "I take it that this call has been prompted by a certain newspaper article? Well I can tell you that we Ewings have no regrets about what happened last night. That termite Barnes was pestering my wife and I defended her honour in the good old fashioned way. Surely you can appreciate that?" JR was always a master at defending himself by going on the offensive first and this is what he was doing right now.

"Hold on there, JR" his mother-in-law interjected coldly. "I have a reputation to uphold here in Austin. How do you think that people who know me are going to react?" "I don't give a damn how they might react" JR exclaimed. "The circles that you move in are hardly in our league, now are they?" He could tell by the silence on the other end of the telephone that Patricia was lost for words. JR changed his tone. "Look, it's Christmas soon. Sue-Ellen and I are going to take a short trip afterwards. Why don't you and Kristin come here for a few days during the holiday, just before we go, spend some time with little Ella?" JR knew that this would have the effect of closing down the conversation about the events of the previous night. Patricia wouldn't risk a withdrawal of the invitation. She would just love being waited on and having the finest food and drink served up to her over the festive season, JR thought.

"That's very kind of you, JR. Yes we will and, as for last night, on reflection I tend to agree with you. No proper Texan gentleman would ever let his wife be dishonoured by another man." JR smirked. She falls for it every time, he mused. "I'll get Sue-Ellen to ring you in the next few days to arrange the visit. Now you take care, Patricia. See you soon" and at that he hung up.

Sue-Ellen had joined him just at that moment. She had Ella in her arms, the baby looking up with big blue eyes at her mother. "JR?" "All taken care of darlin. In the end she was able to see things my way." JR had known all along that his mother-in-law would have to be invited to stay over Christmas. He had been delaying making the concession in the hope that things with Sue-Ellen would come right and now they were. No grandmother should be deprived of the opportunity of seeing her grandchild over Christmas, he thought, no matter how ill- motivated and insincere.

After lunch Miss Ellie and Jock went out for a drive and Bobby took Lucy out riding. Ella was settled in her bouncy chair, her parents sat with her on the sofa in the den. A film was on television but JR wanted to talk even though he felt nervous about it. He pushed the mute button which caused Sue-Ellen to look at him.

"Honey, it's so good that you are prepared to take me back but I think that we need to talk about all that's happened. I've admitted that I slept with Julie on occasions when you and I were going out together. However, it meant nothing, you need to believe me. You see you were the first woman who refused to jump straight into bed with me but the effect that you had on me was very very powerful, as I think you now know. I wanted you so much. Kissing and touching in my car at the end of an evening out was like a form of exquisite torture for me. I did transgress with Julie at times of immense frustration and I was dishonest with you and I'm sorry. I haven't been dishonest in the slightest with you about the trip to the Collins refinery though. It was business and sometimes you have to do things that are unpalatable from a moral standpoint to get what you want and there was something that I wanted very badly out of that trip and it involved you and our little girl. I wanted to make sure that the three of us would be rich and successful and that I would one day head up Ewing Oil. To do so I had to deal with a certain person and take him out of the equation. I've done that, at least for the time being."

"Do you mean Bobby?" Sue-Ellen was incredulous. "There is only him that could supplant you as President of Ewing Oil. Why would you need to take him out of the picture? JR, he's family." "He was getting just a little too big for his boots and daddy was listening to him more and more. It was vital that he was nor responsible for the acquisition of the company's first refinery and I needed some leverage over Collins to make sure that Bobby couldn't succeed. I will be the one to secure a refinery deal and in turn that will confirm me as daddy's only rightful successor. Understand darlin that I do these things for us. One day our son and maybe even our daughter will control the company."

"You blackmailed Collins then?" Sue-Ellen was shocked but at the same time was slightly excited, turned on even. She had always known that JR had a dangerous and ruthless side to him but she hadn't realised just how far he was prepared to go to get what he wanted.

"Yes I did, sugar, but in the process I made a mess of things between us because I didn't have the heart to tell you the truth. Do you think I'm evil?" "Not evil but I am shocked, a little, that your ruthlessness in business even extends to your brother. Do you perceive Bobby as such a threat?" "Sue-Ellen, you know how daddy feels about my little brother. It's been the source of great sadness for me over many years. So, yes, I am feeling threatened and yes I need to keep on my toes where he is concerned. That's why you and Ella mean so much because now I have my own family, my two girls to love and love me back and nobody else to compete with."

"I also understand what you are saying about when we were courting, JR. I've had time to think about it and perhaps I wasn't fair on you by refusing you for all those years. However, the deceit is difficult to come to terms with. You often told me that I was the only girl in the world for you. You also apparently accepted my wish to wait. I used to think that you were being so gentlemanly about it all, agreeing to wait until our wedding night. Do you know how it made me feel to hear Julie say that you would come to her and accuse me of being frigid?"

"I never said that, honey, I promise. I would never have said anything disrespectful about you to her. She meant nothing to me. She was cheap and easy whereas you were, are, such a lady. I was in awe of you. I always worried that someone much more sophisticated would come along and steal you away from me. I pretended I liked to go to classical music concerts when really I was much more at home watching the Dallas Cowboys! I just wanted to please you. I still can't believe that I succeeded in getting you to marry me but that fact sometimes makes me insecure and that's when I'm mad with jealousy, like last night. I love you and our little girl so much. Please give me a chance to prove it. I can be a good husband and father, Sue-Ellen. Please believe me."

Sue-Ellen's expression softened. She'd known all along that JR disliked going to the concerts with her at the Dallas Symphony but he still persisted in buying the tickets. She had also been aware that he would spend much of the concert just staring at her. It was a little bit narcissistic but she had enjoyed the attention. He was a loving husband and a good father and she adored him. It was time to let go of the past and look to the future. Smiling she leaned in to JR for a kiss. "I love you JR, very much and I want this to work. I can cope with the jealousy. I can very easily bring you down when you get like that" she winked at him. "It's the secrets and lies I can't cope with, alright?" "Yes, yes. We're equal partners you and I. No more secrets, I promise." He was already lying to her because he had a new target and he didn't yet know just how he was going to deal with the man. It might involve more dark deeds than his young wife could take.

As they kissed Ella gurgled and then began to cry. She was due her feed. JR dutifully got up to prepare it. He felt very relieved at that moment. He knew they had to have the conversation but it could have gone one of two ways. However he might behave in the future he would make sure that it never had cause to make his wife upset.

Across town a somewhat battered and bruised Cliff studied the newspaper and smirked. He now knew that JR Ewing had an Achilles heel, his beautiful young wife. He had waited a long time to wreak revenge on the Ewings for all that had been done to his daddy but now he knew exactly how to go about it. His pursuit of the lovely Mrs. Ewing had only just begun.

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 **Author's note- thank you for the feedback. Keep letting me know how you want to see the story go (yes I know Cliff is annoying but he makes for good drama!) :)**


	42. Chapter 43

In the days that followed life at Southfork became settled once again. Jock and Miss Ellie regarded their eldest son's reconciliation with his wife as a major relief. They didn't know how JR had done it but the night of the Oil Barons' Ball had marked the turning point in his efforts to win Sue-Ellen round. They were pleased to see the pair happy and so evidently devoted to the care of their baby. All of their thoughts began to turn to Christmas.

Sue-Ellen always enjoyed Christmas. She liked to have a hand in the decorating at Southfork and she always enjoyed the Ewings' New Year's Eve party. However, this year was even more special because it was their first Christmas as parents and although Ella would know nothing about it just having her here to spoil and be a part of it was wonderful. She also surprised herself by feeling quite relaxed about her mother's visit. Patricia and Kristin would arrive on the evening of the 23rd and depart on the morning of the 26th. It was just the right length of time to show her family she wanted to be with them over the festive period but short enough not to feel onerous, she thought.

There was another reason for Sue-Ellen to feel excited. She, JR and Ella were going up to the lake house between Christmas and New Year. It was only for three days but Sue-Ellen was looking forward to it enormously. She had scheduled her post-natal check up for the morning of the 27th and they would depart for the lake house the same afternoon. If she was given the all-clear as she expected the trip would coincide with the resumption of a full love-life with her husband. Whilst they were active in the physical sense by doing other things she had missed the connection that she felt with JR when he was inside her. Sometimes it felt like they were moulded together, like their bodies had become one and she loved that.

She wasn't the only one who was desperate to resume lovemaking. JR was counting the days until he could make Sue-Ellen his again. Sometimes when they were kissing or touching he had been tempted to try to persuade her to go the whole way. She was young and appeared in very good health. What harm could it do? However, JR was sensible enough to realise that gynaecology had to be left to the experts and only Sue-Ellen's doctor would be able to tell if all was well after giving birth.

On Saturday morning as Sue-Ellen was getting dressed JR had an idea. "Say honey why don't you make a start on the Christmas shopping today? I can have Ella. Mama might go with you." "Yes it's a decent idea. I have a lot to get. We have Ella and I also like to treat Lucy and my sister to quite a few nice things. Oh and then there's my mother. She's the most difficult to buy for. It's always a good idea to put the gift receipt in. I'm not sure she has ever actually kept anything that I've got for her!" Sue-Ellen laughed.

JR pulled her into his arms. "You have exquisite taste. Now what are you gonna get for me?" "What do you want?" "I want you to get some really sexy lingerie and wear it for me. You know what I mean don't you, sugar?" JR smiled and kissed her. Sue-Ellen knew exactly what he liked. He didn't like anything cheap and trashy. Only the finest lace and silk, the sort of lingerie that didn't scream sex but subtly exuded it. With her well-toned body it would be easy to choose several sets that would be just to her husband's liking. "OK, but I'm not wearing them until Christmas. You'll just have to wait." "I can wait honey when the wait is worth it" he replied kissing her deeply.

Miss Ellie and Sue-Ellen went off into town together. It was busy and crowded. After about an hour they sensibly decided that it would be more efficient to split up so that they could get what they needed more quickly. Sue-Ellen made her way to The Store. She intended to buy JR some ties and to look at the lingerie that was in stock. As she was browsing in Menswear she was greeted by a familiar voice. "Mrs. Ewing, Sue-Ellen, hello. Are you OK?" It was Cliff. Sue-Ellen was nervous about replying to him but at the same time she wouldn't let her manners fail her. "Yes, I'm just fine, Mr. Barnes, thank you." She decided deliberately to keep things formal. "I was just a little concerned about you after the Oil Barons' Ball. Also, for my part in it I am truly sorry." "It's fine honestly" she replied." I'm just not used to grown men brawling like schoolboys. It wasn't how I was brought up." That should put him in his place, she thought. "Can I take you for a cup of coffee, Mrs. Ewing?" Cliff was playing games with her by returning to a much more formal tone of address. "What is your interest in me? Why is it these days that everywhere I go you seem to be?" "Oh that's just lucky coincidence but you are right I am interested in you. I have been from the first day I met you. You are captivating Sue-Ellen. I don't think I have ever encountered a woman like you before. I also sense that there has been unhappiness for you recently. Just something in your eyes gives away the impression that maybe the great JR Ewing hasn't been making much effort to be a great husband."

Sue-Ellen was taken aback by Cliff's directness but also by his perceptiveness. She went on the defensive just as he had planned. "My marriage is really none of your concern. JR is a wonderful husband to me. He gives me everything I want." "Why do I think the witness is not telling the whole truth?" He was infuriating but there was something also intriguing about him. "I am telling the truth. You need to stop being a DA on your day off!" "Come for a coffee, please, you look like you need to have a bit of a break" Cliff eyed her parcels. She certainly had been busy.

"Alright, ten minutes, that's all." Sue-Ellen was on dangerous ground but that slight narcissism that she had to her character robbed her of her usual good judgment. It was a decision that would alter the course of her life.

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	43. Chapter 44

Cliff gently guided Sue-Ellen to a quiet table. He couldn't believe his luck that she had agreed to have coffee with him, if only for a few minutes. "Other than the fact that you were once Miss Texas and are married to JR I don't know anything about you. Where are you from?" "Austin" Sue-Ellen replied. She needed to be careful with the amount of information she imparted to Cliff, she thought. "And family? Parents?" "My father died. I have my mother and younger sister. They are still in Austin." "I sense that you are not close?" "We are perfectly close. Should I be on oath, Mr. Barnes? It feels like you are cross-examining me!" Cliff laughed. She was a beauty but she also had spirit. "No, I just want to get to know you better. Like I said before I am captivated even though I know that you are married and I can't do anything about it. Take it as a compliment, Sue-Ellen. Oh and let's drop the formalities, they don't suit our friendship."

Sue-Ellen smiled and took a sip of her coffee. There was something about this man that attracted her to him. He wasn't as handsome as JR or as sophisticated. She could tell that just from the way he dressed. However, the keenness with which he felt hostility towards her husband and his family and his overt attraction to her was exciting and it made Sue-Ellen want to know him more.

"What about your family, Cliff?" Sue-Ellen replied emphasising her use of his forename in a quasi-sarcastic tone. "No mother, waste of space. Father, a good man, but an alcoholic." He had no idea how his background chimed with that of Sue-Ellen. "I also have a younger sister. A real sweetheart. She works here in fact."

"Tell me about the Ewings." He was moving into dangerous territory and he knew that this might have the effect of making Sue-Ellen take flight. Sue-Ellen also realised that she needed to be careful. "They are all really good to me. I know you don't like them and you may have good reason not to. However, they are all kind and generous to me." "And your husband? I may be wrong but I have a feeling that there has been some sadness in your marriage recently. There was just something about you at the ball that told me all was not entirely well" Cliff knew he was now pushing his luck to the limit.

"JR is a good and loving husband to me. He gives me everything I want... and need" Sue-Ellen was beginning to be irritated. What business of Cliff is the state of her marriage? she thought. "I just want you to know, Sue-Ellen, that when it comes down to it the Ewings stick together. Even Bobby, supposedly the most decent of the bunch, will defend his father's and his brother's wrongdoings. You're an outsider. A Ewing by marriage only. If things go wrong for you with JR you will need a friend and I want to be your friend, Sue-Ellen, I really do."

Sue-Ellen got up. This had all gone too far. Cliff had made her anxious and unsettled all over again. It wasn't long since she had consulted a divorce lawyer. Would the Ewings really turn on her if things didn't remain stable in her marriage? she wondered. Regaining her composure she addressed Cliff for a final time. "Thank you for the coffee, Cliff. Have a lovely Christmas." "You too. I hope it brings everything you wish for." At that Cliff thrust his card into her hand, lingering for just a couple of seconds too long as he made physical contact with her. It had his home and work numbers on it. "Just in case you ever need that friend."

When Sue-Ellen got home she peered into the nursery. JR was cuddling baby Ella who was awake and alert to her daddy's attention. He was talking to her about a king and queen who had a beautiful baby princess who would one day grow up just as beautiful as her mama and as smart as her daddy. When Sue-Ellen giggled JR looked up and smiled in response. He was a little embarrassed. He enjoyed chatting to his daughter but fairytales were hardly in keeping with his image.

They settled Ella down into her cot for a nap and then retired to their bedroom. JR needed a "lie down" which was a euphemism for intimacy when they were at home. Sue-Ellen still felt a little anxious but she knew instinctively that she wanted to be close to her husband and give him pleasure.

Twenty minutes later and JR was completely content. As Sue-Ellen wiped her mouth he thought about what had just happened between them. She had just given him the best oral sex he had ever had. It beat even some of the professional ladies he had been with in the past. He was very lucky. He had a wife who was a complete lady in public but ever increasingly hot in bed. He loved her and there was no way that he would mess things up again.

Sue-Ellen's thoughts were somewhat different. Yes, she loved JR deeply, but Cliff was right when the chips were down she wasn't really a Ewing. She was an outsider.

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	44. Chapter 45

"I can't believe how quickly Christmas seems to have come around" Sue-Ellen remarked to JR as she was getting dressed. It was the 23rd and her mother and younger sister were due to arrive later on that evening. "Do you have any reservations about your mother and Kristin coming to visit?" JR asked. "No, in fact I feel very relaxed about the whole subject. Since you took over dealing with her the day after the ball I feel much more in control and less intimidated by her. I also think that we have her over a barrel now where Ella is concerned. Play by our rules, you see your grandchild more often. Does that sound a bit callous?"

"It sounds like you're learning finally, honey. You have your own life to lead and your mother can't touch you, not when you have me by your side. Anyway it will soon be over and then we're off to the lake house. That's the part of this holiday that I'm really looking forward to." He gave his wife a meaningful look before kissing her. "Say, Sue-Ellen, how are you feeling in yourself?" He was worried that she would not get the all clear from her gynaecologist before the trip. "I feel absolutely fine, JR. I'm confident that normal relations will be able to resume while we are away."

As Sue-Ellen made her way downstairs with Ella in her arms she noticed the post on the hall table. There was what was obviously a Christmas card addressed, unusually, just to her. She hurriedly picked it up and put it in the rear pocket of her jeans. She had a feeling that it was from Cliff and she knew that JR would go mad if he saw it. Once she had settled Ella into her bouncy seat she took the card back out and opened the envelope. It was an expensive card that had obviously been chosen with some care. Her stomach lurched ever so slightly when she read what was written.

 _"To Sue-Ellen, I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and that you get everything you wish for. I'd love us to meet for coffee again, some time after the holiday. Give me a call. Love from Cliff x"_

Cliff had been hoping to see Sue-Ellen again but it hadn't happened even though he became a regular visitor to The Store. Their paths simply didn't cross in the run-up to Christmas. He felt he had made progress with her when they had coffee and he needed to keep his pursuit of her apace. Sending a Christmas card seemed to be the only way to make her aware of his continued interest in her. There was also a risk that JR would see the card and intercept it first. That would cause fireworks in the Ewing household over the festive period, he mused wickedly.

In fact, Sue-Ellen had the good sense to tear up the card into tiny pieces and throw it into the kitchen bin just as Teresa was about to tip the remains of breakfast on top of it. Nobody will see it now, she thought. She then felt a little confused. She loved JR very much but there was something about Cliff that caused her to enjoy his attention. She told herself to get a grip, forget about Cliff and concentrate on her marriage. Things were really good between her and JR. He wasn't the only one who wanted to get their bedroom activities back to normal and it was going to happen in just a few days time in the privacy of the lake house, the place at which they had discovered just how sexually compatible they were.

Patricia's and Kristin's arrival at Southfork was responded to warmly and cordially by the Ewings. Miss Ellie had warned Jock and Bobby to make an effort with Patricia and Lucy likewise with Kristin. It was Christmas after all, she had told them. Bobby's mind was elsewhere. He had seen for himself how close JR and Sue-Ellen had become once again and he was envious, although now it wasn't his sister-in-law that he wanted. What he wanted was a loving wife and a child of his own. He was lonely and was at risk of allowing work to become his only focus, something that he had never really wanted. Perhaps the new year would mark a turning point for the better in his love life, he thought.

Dinner was dominated by Patricia's incessant and inane chatter. The three men turned to drink to get them through it. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and the office was closed. It was the perfect occasion to indulge. Miss Ellie and Sue-Ellen listened to Patricia with fake interest. That was until the conversation took a somewhat darker turn. "So Sue-Ellen, dear, why was Cliff Barnes pestering you at the Oil Barons' Ball?" her mother asked. She could never seem to leave her daughter alone. Sue-Ellen shifted nervously in her seat. She would have to be careful with her response. "Why mother, I have no idea. He was drunk and he just started to bother me, saying things about JR and the family." "Why didn't you just excuse yourself and walk away then?" Patricia felt she was on to something and it didn't bother her one jot that it might cause problems for her daughter.

At that point JR intervened. He took Sue-Ellen's hand and kissed it gently. "She didn't walk away because she couldn't. Barnes had her backed into a corner and she would have needed to barge past him to get away. I'm sure you would agree that it wouldn't have been ladylike for Sue-Ellen to have done that? She did what any proper lady would do and let me, her husband, sort him out." One nil to JR, Sue-Ellen thought as she smiled gratefully at her husband.

Miss Ellie tactically changed the subject by asking Lucy and Kristin what they hoped for in the way of Christmas gifts. She knew that there was a pile of gifts for them under the tree. The girls were excited and their chatter served to take the edge off the evening. JR tactfully suggested an early night for himself and Sue-Ellen after dinner. If Ella slept through as she had started to do of late she would still be awake very early in the morning and they would need to see to her care, he explained.

As they closed the bedroom door behind them they fell into a passionate kiss. It was the best thing that had happened all evening. As they broke off JR felt compelled to ask his wife the question that Patricia had obviously been working herself up to. "So, why was that idiot Cliff Barnes pestering you at the ball?" "Well, to needle you for a start, JR, and it clearly worked judging by the carnage that ensued." Sue-Ellen felt a little bit guilty that she had encouraged Cliff ever so slightly at the ball. She also had the coffee outing and Christmas card on her mind. "Forget it. He brought us back together. Now what would you like me to do to help you get to sleep?" "Oh you know what I like, Sue-Ellen, but I think it's my turn to please you first."

It was really quite easy, she thought, to manipulate her husband and keep him on side as she began to help him remove his jacket followed by his tie.

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	45. Chapter 46

JR's defence of Sue-Ellen over dinner served as a further warning to Patricia against crossing her son-in-law. Accordingly, she decided to take care with her words and just get on with enjoying Christmas and her time with Ella. Christmas Eve was always enjoyable at Southfork. Miss Ellie usually allowed Lucy to open just one present before she went to bed and this year was no exception. She extended the same kindness to Kristin. Both girls were thrilled with what they found when they unwrapped their respective gifts. For Lucy there was a pair of the latest jeans that Sue-Ellen remembered her talking about and for Kristin a pretty sweater that would accentuate her dark hair and brown eyes.

"Now girls it's time for bed. Happy Christmas and do try to get some sleep" Miss Ellie told them as she ushered them up the stairs. The adults remained up a little longer chatting and enjoying a glass of champagne. However, JR was keen to take his wife to bed. He had something for her that he wanted to give to her in private. Making the now familiar excuse of having to get up early with Ella he and Sue-Ellen bade the family goodnight and went up.

JR waited until they were both undressed. "By the way you looked stunning tonight, darlin." He liked to compliment her because he knew that it made her happy. "Come and sit with me here" he patted the edge of the bed. "Happy Christmas, Sue-Ellen, this is for you." He handed her a beautifully wrapped blue box. It was obviously from Tiffany's. Sue-Ellen gasped when the gift was revealed. A bracelet of the finest quality linked diamonds. "Oh JR, it's beautiful! Thank you so much" she exclaimed throwing her arms around him and giving him a big kiss. Suddenly she felt bad. She hadn't got JR anything like an equivalent gift. She had bought him an exquisite new wallet from Hermes, some silk ties and a bottle of his favourite cologne. Oh and the lingerie, she remembered. However that was as much for her as for him.

She knew what to do to remedy the situation. She excused herself for a minute and returned wearing a different robe. "As promised I got this for you" she said as she let the robe fall to the floor. She had on a cream silk teddy which fitted closely to her body and revealed a significant amount of cleavage. JR growled. He was delighted. What followed between them came dangerously close to going the whole way. They wanted each other very badly and JR almost lost control of himself. It was Sue-Ellen who brought him to his senses by taking him in hand and making him climax that way. "Happy Christmas, JR" she whispered as they snuggled down to sleep afterwards. "Oh I'm having a very happy Christmas, sugar, and it's all down to you."

Christmas Day came and went without incident. Dinner was jolly and convivial. Ella was constantly being passed around for cuddles. It was novel to have her at the dinner table but this only added to the festive atmosphere. Her mama had dressed her in a pretty red velvet dress which was perfect for the occasion and she looked extremely sweet and cute. Lucy and Kristin were very pleased with their respective haul of gifts which made the adults in the family feel that their efforts had been worthwhile. Even Patricia appeared pleased with Sue-Ellen's gift to her- a sweater made from the finest cashmere.

The following day was more restful. After lunch JR took Patricia and Kristin to the airport. When he returned he and Sue-Ellen spent the afternoon reading the papers and watching television. After dinner Sue-Ellen began the laborious process of packing for their trip the following day. "For someone so tiny she sure needs a lot of stuff" JR commented as he watched his wife assembling all the baby paraphernalia that they would require to take with them. Sue-Ellen smiled. She was well organised and knew exactly what her daughter would need. Whilst JR seemed less active he had in fact been busy himself earlier making phone calls to ensure that the lake house was in perfect order for their arrival. There would be no cooking for Sue-Ellen this time, he mused. He needed her to attend to much more important things.

Sue-Ellen was in a rush to get to her appointment the following morning. Ella had been up in the night and she and JR had overslept slightly as a result. She kissed her husband as she rushed out of the door, returning for a second to kiss her baby who was asleep in his arms. "Can you get the car loaded please, JR?" "Sure thing, honey." JR wanted to get on the road as soon as his wife got back. "I'll help him" Miss Ellie said as she waved Sue-Ellen on her way.

An hour and a half later Sue-Ellen's examination was over. "You are back to perfectly normal, Sue-Ellen. However, I didn't imagine anything else" Dr. Scott remarked as she took off her gloves. As Sue-Ellen began to get dressed Dr. Scott, in keeping with her usual good practice, moved onto the subject of her patient's general welfare. "So, how are you finding motherhood? she enquired. Sue-Ellen gave her a wide smile, a good sign in the doctor's book. "It's better than I ever imagined. I love Ella so much and I just enjoy looking after her." "And your husband. Is he supportive?" Dr. Scott was aware that they were still together. She had chuckled out loud when she read the report of what had happened at the Oil Barons' Ball. "He's been just great. Things are very good."

"I'm glad." The doctor wasn't the judgmental type. If her patient was happy that was enough. "Now, contraception. Sorry, birth control as it's more commonly called over here. Your plans?" Sue-Ellen was genuinely taken aback. She hadn't given the matter any thought and here she was now, about to go away with JR primarily to resume having sex with him, and she hadn't considered precautions. Dr. Scott could tell by her expression that Sue-Ellen was foxed.

"I imagine that you and your husband are keen to resume a full physical relationship?" Sue-Ellen nodded. "And I imagine that Mr. Ewing would not be content to use the barrier method long-term?" The doctor knew Texan men all too well and JR Ewing would be no exception. "Yes I imagine that's right. It's not anything that we have ever discussed though." "I recommend the pill then, Sue-Ellen, and I can prescribe it right now for you." "Thank you very much doctor." Sue-Ellen was enormously relieved as the woman began writing the script. "Now these won't kick in effectively for a month so you will have to insist on the barrier method until then as well. That is unless you and your husband aren't worried about you falling pregnant again so soon after your first baby."

The look on Sue-Ellen's face spoke volumes. She hadn't thought about any of this at all. Dr. Scott reminded herself that her patient was young and, if she guessed correctly, probably hadn't had a lot of experience before she was married. After handing the script to Sue-Ellen she then went to one of her cupboards and took out a box of condoms. "Average size?" she winked. She wanted to put Sue-Ellen at ease. "Most men are. Now you just be careful. Get to a pharmacy on your way home and obtain the pills and start on them straight away. Alright?" "Yes, certainly. Thank you very much once again." "Take care, Sue-Ellen. You know where I am if you do decide on another baby."

By the time she reached her car Sue-Ellen's thoughts were all over the place. How could she have been so ignorant for a start? And how would she persuade her husband to take a precaution that she knew deep down he didn't have in mind one bit? They had both been so patient and she wanted things to be absolutely perfect between them on their trip. Her sense of impending disappointment was immense.

Back at home a very different conversation was taking place between JR and his father. Jock, never a man to mince his words, had taken his son to one side for a "man to man" chat. "JR, I'm mightily relieved that you managed to patch things up with Sue-Ellen. However, it's early days yet and that girl can be mercurial in her moods. You need an insurance policy. Do you understand boy?" "I'm not sure I do, sir. Sue-Ellen and I are happy again and I'm not going to make any more mistakes where she is concerned, I promise." "Look, I'll be blunt I recommend that you get her pregnant again. It would be far harder for her to leave here with two children than just one. You are taking her away for a few days why don't you make a start now?" Jock's words were characteristically cynical but somehow, once spoken, they made sense to JR. He hadn't thought about another child, at least not yet. All his thoughts had been about enjoying his wife's body for carnal as opposed to procreational reasons. He had loved her pregnant figure but, on balance, her new, post-Ella figure was better and for that reason he wasn't sure that he wanted Sue-Ellen pregnant again quite so quickly. He also wondered about a return of the chronic morning sickness that she had when first pregnant with Ella and remembered the toll that it had taken on her. However, his father's implied threat that his marriage might not make it without a second child had been powerful. JR was usually decisive and rarely torn. He was now, however, truly torn.

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 **Author's note: sorry for all the intimate/medical detail in this chapter but it is for a reason re how the story will develop further down the line. Next chapter will be much more romantic. Thank you, as ever, for the reviews.**


	46. Chapter 47

By the time that Sue-Ellen got home JR had made a decision. It was born from his insecurity where his wife was concerned and the nagging doubts created by his father only a few weeks earlier when he had warned him about how easy it would be for Sue-Ellen to attract another wealthy man and leave Southfork with Ella for good.

JR didn't lack experience and although he and Sue-Ellen hadn't discussed it he knew that there would be a limited time during which he would have to take responsibility for her not getting pregnant again. He had therefore packed accordingly. However, although he had used protection in the past with women whose background was dubious, he didn't particularly enjoy sex as much as when he could do it without. Sex with Sue-Ellen had always hitherto been without protection and that had been perfectly acceptable to both of them as they were united in their wish to have a child. Now the situation was different. Although JR was confident that his wife would want another child at some point in the future he wasn't anywhere nearly as sure that two babies in rapid succession figured in her thinking.

He would have to create a scenario in which the decision to jettison birth control appeared to have been initiated by Sue-Ellen. In other words, he needed to manipulate her. If she did fall pregnant quickly she had the advantage of the finest medical care, family,household staff and a loving husband to support her. It wasn't like she would be all by herself. Plus, she was only young which meant that they would have loads of time as a couple afterwards to enjoy themselves, he rationalised.

Sue-Ellen had also had much to think about on her journey home, not least her complete ignorance of certain adult matters. She was intelligent and generally well-read but her cosseted life with the Ewings since her marriage was not always a good thing, she mused. It had created a kind of dependency that probably wasn't healthy for a modern young woman. She determined to discuss the issue of birth control with JR on the journey to the lake house, otherwise there was a risk that it wouldn't happen if she left it until after they had got there.

Half an hour after her return the family was ready to get on the road. It was a cold, clear day and Ella was well wrapped up in her car seat. Fifteen minutes into the journey and the baby was fast asleep. Sue-Ellen seized the opportunity to tell JR what Dr. Scott had told her. "I hope you aren't too disappointed ,JR. We can still have lots of fun together and it's only for a month" she stroked her husband's knee and smiled hopefully at him. "Well, honey, of course if you insist. It has to be your decision but it's not like it only took a month for you to conceive Ella. I mean, what are the chances realistically of lightning striking in the first four weeks of us resuming full relations?" JR replied. "I don't think it's a risk that we can take to be honest. You know how we feel about each other and my body may be different now that I have had a child, more fertile if you like" Sue-Ellen replied.

The conversation came to natural pause, Sue-Ellen perceiving that her husband was accepting of her position, albeit reluctantly. She resolved to make their trip as enjoyable as possible for him notwithstanding the slight complication to their original plan.

When they arrived at the lake house Sue-Ellen was delighted to see a thin covering of snow on the ground and the gardens decked out with thousands of twinkling fairy lights that seemed even brighter against the white. The interior of the house was even more thrilling. A huge real tree stood in the corner of the main lounge and the décor had been accessorised with holly and mistletoe. JR had made a real effort to make the house look festive and pretty, she thought as she wandered through. She went back outside to fetch her baby in from the car whilst JR generally unloaded the vehicle. She was shocked to see the lack of food that he had packed. Bottles of wine and champagne were all well and good but what were they going to eat? she enquired anxiously. "It's all taken care of darling. I have ordered every meal in- just the sort of food that you enjoy. You're going to be busy doing other things than cooking" he replied giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Did you arrange all this? The decorating I mean?" "Of course, I wanted to make it really special for you." He took her in his arms and gave her an affectionate hug. Now was not the time to get too carried away. That would come much later when their little daughter was settled and they were on their own.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent unpacking and caring for Ella. She was a placid little thing who was calm and contented when her parents paid attention to her. She was, however, becoming ever more alert and she enjoyed listening to her mama's and daddy's voices when they spoke to her or told her stories. JR also busied himself by making a log fire in the lounge. He wanted a cosy and special atmosphere for later. Sue-Ellen was secretly impressed that her husband knew how to build a fire. It wasn't anything that she had seen him do before.

The time soon came for Ella to be bathed and made ready for bed. JR took over the last feed to enable Sue-Ellen to get ready for dinner. She wanted to make a special effort for such an important evening. As JR was putting Ella down in her cot his wife emerged. She looked beautiful in a black, silk wrap dress and high heels. "How about we skip dinner?" JR growled. "Only kidding. It's just that you look so gorgeous I could eat you." Sue-Ellen blushed. He still had that unique effect upon her, she thought.

As they made their way downstairs, Ella having drifted off to sleep, the doorbell rang. Dinner had arrived with perfect timing. Sue-Ellen hurriedly set the table and then inspected the food. "Surf and Turf! JR, you know how much I adore lobster, thank you!" she exclaimed. JR wasn't as keen on the surf but he certainly enjoyed the turf. It was the best of both worlds for them.

Dinner was perfect. They had each given themselves the mental warning not to rush the meal. It was important to set the right atmosphere and scene for what would come next. In any event it was lovely just chatting about all sorts of things. Conversation over dinner at Southfork tended to be led by Jock. It was good for JR and Sue-Ellen to be able to chat between themselves for a change.

After dinner was finally cleared away the couple sat down in front of the fire. Unusually JR had drunk very little. He was determined that nothing would spoil their big moment. Within seconds of taking their places they were kissing and this time it was extremely passionate. JR's hand wandered down the front of Sue-Ellen's dress. "Take it off for me honey" he murmured in between kisses. "Here?" she queried. "Yes, right here. I want you here." She dutifully obeyed standing to let the dress fall away from her shoulders. "God, Sue-Ellen, you are amazing" JR said, eyeing her black lacy lingerie and her body lasciviously. Taking her hand he pulled her gently down to the floor. It was warm and comfortable as they lay down on the rug. JR resumed kissing her. This time though he also caressed her, his hand making its way to between her legs. She let him take off her panties and touch her. He was making her wet. He was irresistible. JR paused to take off his clothes. By this time Sue-Ellen was desperate with desire. As he re-continued pleasuring her Sue-Ellen whispered "I want you, inside me, now." So far all had gone perfectly to plan, JR thought, smiling widely at his lovely wife. He moved away from her. "What are you doing?" she asked anxiously. She couldn't wait any longer. "I'm just getting what we spoke about." "No, JR, I need you. Now! Forget about that."

He lay back down next to her. He was touching her again, making her wild with desire for him. "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure. Just this once. Make love to me, JR." He was about to enter her when suddenly he had an instinctive but powerful change of heart. "No, it isn't right. It wouldn't be right for us to have another baby so soon." He moved to the sofa and rummaged in his trouser pocket. Sue-Ellen was confused but she knew deep down that she needed to trust him. He had always been her protector and now was no different.

Within seconds he was back to where he had left off. Moving on top of her he grasped her hand and entered her. She arched her back and gasped as he did so. JR initially took things slowly. He didn't want to hurt her. When he sensed that all was well he increased the speed and intensity of his thrusts. Using his other hand he pleasured her special spot for extra effect. Sue-Ellen moaned in response. She moved her free hand down and began stroking his balls. JR grunted. It had been so long since they had done this but it was as good as ever. Determined to make her come he thrust deeper. It had the desired effect for both of them. Sue-Ellen moaned and shuddered as she climaxed. At virtually the same time JR came. The sensation was different from usual for him but he couldn't say that it had not been wonderful, because it had been. He had his wife back in every sense and he was happy. He resolved in future never to allow his father to influence how he behaved with his wife again.

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	47. Chapter 48

Sleep captured JR and Sue-Ellen very quickly after their fireside lovemaking session. Apart from one short interruption in the night, probably caused by Ella being in a different environment, they both slept soundly and felt happy and refreshed when morning came. JR was also amorous in mood. He had enjoyed himself so much the night before he wanted a repeat performance. However, their daughter had other ideas. She needed feeding.

"I'll see to her" Sue-Ellen offered. She hoped that once fed and settled she could re-join her husband in bed even if only for a short amount of time. "No honey, we will take care of Ella together" JR replied. He was conscious of the fact that the unofficial paternity leave that his father had given him was going to expire all too soon and he wanted to be with his baby as much as possible in the small amount of time he had left.

Thankfully, after her feed Ella settled down again leaving her parents free to do as they wished. There was only one thing on their minds. After a quick shower together they got back into bed. Mindful of his responsibility JR made sure that they were protected. "Come here on top of me" he commanded. Sat up in bed he was in the perfect position for Sue-Ellen to engage in a gentle rocking motion which was extremely pleasurable for both of them. It also allowed them to carry on kissing each other deeply and passionately, the romance of which Sue-Ellen always treasured. As he came JR moaned "I love you, Sue-Ellen." His wife whispered the same in reply. The trip was turning out to be a second honeymoon of sorts but their physical relationship was now way better than it was the first time. They snuggled down into bed. "I am nothing without you, darling. Please never leave me." A kiss from Sue-Ellen sealed the promise. She didn't need to use words.

Back in Dallas, Cliff had gone into the office, ostensibly to catch up on some work for a forthcoming trial, but really to commence some research concerning JR. The thought of him and Sue-Ellen enjoying Christmas together had been all consuming and he didn't like it. Progress had to be made and it had to be made quickly, he thought. For a while he lacked inspiration as to where to start. It then hit him. Other than family who gets closer to JR Ewing in the workplace? His secretary of course! A few almost certainly unlawful phone calls later and he had some interesting information. JR had a new secretary having replaced his old one, Julie Grey, somewhat suddenly, his source at the tax office had informed him. Miss Grey lasted only a matter of days in her new position at Ewing Oil and then re-appeared at a different company where again she lasted no time at all.

Julie's current employment was in a bar in Austin. Her address a trailer park on the wrong side of town. She had obviously come down in the world since she relocated, Cliff mused. All his instincts told him that the young woman probably represented trouble for JR. Picking up the phone he dialled the number of the bar. "Please can I speak to one of your employees? It's Julie Grey. My name is Cliff Barnes and I am the District Attorney for Dallas. No, she isn't in any trouble whatsoever. I actually need her to help me with something."

Julie came onto the phone. "Who's speaking please?" After all she had been through of late she was naturally suspicious. "I'm Cliff Barnes, Miss Grey." She recognised the name instantly. "How can I help you?" "You and I have an enemy in common- JR Ewing and I need you to do something for me." "Why would I want to do anything that involves that man?" she asked with annoyance. "He ruined my life."

"Oh yes I know all about that." Cliff was calling her bluff. "You see, JR has something that I want very badly and I reckon that you and I could come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement in order to help me to get it." Julie's curiosity was pricked. "What on earth does JR have that you could possibly want, Mr. Barnes?" "Julie, can I call you by your first name? What I want, very much, is his wife."

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	48. Chapter 49

Julie was shocked yet intrigued. She knew that the Barnes and the Ewings were enemies of old but she had never imagined for one moment that Cliff would stoop so low as to try to steal JR's wife from him. She had always felt animosity towards Sue-Ellen and therefore her lack of empathy for the young woman, stuck in the middle, spurred her on to continue the conversation.

"You're in love with Sue-Ellen Ewing?" she asked. "There are a number of reasons that I want her, Miss Grey, attraction is but one of them." Julie recognised that Cliff wasn't intending on telling her lies. He was being straight up. "How can I help you? JR ran me out of town. The life I lead here is very different from the life I had in Dallas. If I do get involved in whatever you have planned it would have to be worth my while." Julie paused for a second, "oh and if it involves me having to do anything with JR you can forget it. In any case he wouldn't be interested these days."

"No, I would never suggest that. What I have in mind is nice and simple. Just you and JR being seen by his wife in the wrong place at the wrong time. That will be more than enough" Cliff replied. "And how do you know that he would bite on it? I mean me asking to meet up with him somewhere?" Julie asked. She wasn't sure that Cliff had thought this through fully. "I'm, erm, thinking about that. However, if I have your agreement in principle I will make sure that straight after you are re-located to a different State, one of your choosing, and employed as a secretary at the local DA's office. JR Ewing wouldn't be be able to touch you there, I promise. I think we should meet. I'm prepared to come to Austin. Weekend perhaps?"

"I'm not sure." Julie's life was miserable these days. She pondered on the kudos that working at the DA's office would bring with it. It would be a completely fresh start, her parents would be proud of her once more and her self-esteem, which had taken a savage beating lately, would be restored. "OK then, Mr. Barnes. I have some time off on Sunday. However, I recommend that you give your plan some attention to detail between now and then. JR is a hard man to beat. He is sly but also perceptive. He has to be given every incentive to meet up with me and must not suspect anything." At that she gave Cliff her contact details, hung up and went back to work.

Meanwhile JR and Sue-Ellen continued to bask in marital bliss at the lake house, quite oblivious to the machinations taking place back in Dallas. After their early morning love-in they got up and took a light breakfast before getting in the car with Ella and setting off for the nearest town. They were going to have a bit of a walk followed by lunch out. JR was delighted when Sue-Ellen offered him the opportunity to put on the baby carrier harness so that he could walk about with Ella hands-free. It was hardly in keeping with his image but he was away from home and he didn't care. He enjoyed cuddling his little daughter and he knew that he didn't have much longer before the demands of returning to work would compete with parenthood.

The entire day was enormously enjoyable for the couple. They had a sweet and placid baby and were in love. Away from Dallas there was no need to be aware of keeping up appearances for the sake of the Ewing name. Here nobody cared. They could laugh and kiss and touch like other, normal young couples and it felt good.

That evening over another delicious dinner JR had a proposition for his wife. "Do you remember that first time we spent the night at the condo and you gave me a gift, sugar?" "How could I forget?" Sue-Ellen giggled sexily. "I've brought the ties with me and I was wondering whether I could..." "You want to dominate me, JR?" As her husband struggled to formulate a response Sue-Ellen slipped off one of her shoes, stretched out her leg and began stroking JR's crotch over his trousers with her toes. "God, Sue-Ellen, you are driving me crazy! How about it then?"

Sue-Ellen gazed into his eyes. "You can have me, do what you want to me just like you did at the condo before I found out I was pregnant" she replied. At that JR swept her up into his arms and carried her upstairs. This is almost too good to be true he thought to himself as he began removing Sue-Ellen's clothes, the black silk bondage ties having been strategically placed next to the bed by him just before dinner.

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	49. Chapter 50

Sue-Ellen discovered a darker side to JR's sexual appetite that night and it excited her. Whilst he was careful not to hurt her he was strong and at times rough with her. It was an enormous turn on for him to have his beautiful young wife completely under his control. When he was almost done he untied her and adopted a much more gentle and tender approach, keen to make sure that she knew how much he loved and cherished her. As they prepared to go to sleep they both whispered their love for each other. They felt the luckiest people in the world- young, rich, good looking and happy.

The following day Cliff arrived in Austin. As the cab approached the trailer park where Julie was living he was shocked. The Ewing Oil secretaries had always been known for being well treated by their employers. Their pay was way above average, encouraging loyalty to the company, and if a job vacancy arose there would be hundreds of young women vying for an offer of employment. Julie Grey had indeed come down in the world a long way. What could have happened to cause such a significant fall from grace? he mused.

When she let him in Cliff was struck by how pretty yet jaded the young woman looked. As she courteously passed him a cup of coffee he noticed that her hands were shaking. "Tell me Julie, what happened to cause your life to go downhill so drastically?"

"JR Ewing is what happened. We had an affair before he was married. I was in love with him. It wasn't all about sex where I was concerned. I'm not a slut you know. Then after the wedding day he dumped me. I stupidly lived in hope that he would change his mind and come back to me. It led to me doing something for him, a favour, where business was concerned. I'm not prepared to tell you about that because I am still ashamed of myself.."

"Did he get you to sleep with someone?" Cliff's curiosity was aroused. "God no, I put myself on the line for him though and virtually immediately afterwards he sent me away to a different department in the company. I was unhappy there and decided to move on. However, within days at a different company he had me fired." Julie deliberately glossed over the day that Sue-Ellen went into premature labour and continued. "He then ran me out of town as I mentioned on the telephone."

"Despicable as always" Cliff sympathised. "The Ewings have always operated that way. They use and abuse and then dispense with people at their will. You must have heard about what happened to my father?" Julie nodded "the Ewing version of course but I am not so naïve as to think that there couldn't have been a whole other side to the story."

Cliff smiled. He had her on the hook and was about to reel her in. "Will you help me Julie? It seems that you and I have a lot in common where that rotten family is concerned." "Provided that you guarantee me the new start and protection you mentioned. I have reservations about just going back to Dallas let alone having to be involved with JR again." "Of course, you can trust me totally." "Plus I feel a little bad about his wife. She isn't involved in her husband's dirty dealings" Julie lied. She didn't want Cliff to know everything about the way she felt, at least not for the time being. "I'll be doing Sue-Ellen a favour getting her away from the clutches of that man. Any upset will be temporary I can promise you." Cliff was now lying. He had little investment in Sue-Ellen other than his physical attraction to her and need to get her into bed.

Cliff made to leave. He handed Julie his card. "I will be in touch early in the new year." Julie expected him to give her some money but he tactically didn't. He was the DA for Dallas. He couldn't risk an allegation of bribery against him.

After he had gone Julie tried to gather her thoughts. There was something about Cliff that she didn't like and she certainly didn't trust him. With JR she at least knew what motivated him and how he operated. There was a lot of sense in the better the devil you know adage. She would bide her time and make a decision. An elaborate game of double bluff could be much more to her advantage but it would mean having to deal with JR Ewing again and the very thought made her frightened.

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	50. Chapter 51

JR and Sue-Ellen enjoyed a last night of passion at the lake house. This time he let her take control and he was delighted by her response. Every move was dictated by her and she knew just what she wanted from him. Afterwards, her heart still thumping with excitement, she murmured breathlessly "let's not leave it too long to come back here, JR. I've had such a wonderful time just being with you and our baby." JR smiled in agreement. "Oh yes, sugar, we are certainly coming back soon. You are amazing." He kissed her and held her for a while until they were both ready to go to sleep. However, JR had something on his mind- his imminent return to work. He needed to discuss it with Sue-Ellen but it would have to wait until the morning.

The next day as Sue-Ellen prepared a cooked breakfast JR stood watching her, their baby in his arms. Ella was contented with her daddy. She watched her parents intently, her eyes darting from one to the other. Every time she made eye contact with one of them she was met with a smile or a kiss or an affectionate word. "Honey, there is something that I need to talk about with you." Sue-Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Sounds ominous. It's nothing to worry about is it?" "Oh no, it's just, well, after all the time we have been spending together and how much we have enjoyed it. I don't want it to come as a blow or anything but daddy has made it clear that he needs me back at work, fully, the first week of the new year." Sue-Ellen sighed. "I knew that you would have to go back some time, JR. I'm fine with that on condition that we spend the weekends together doing family things with our baby, taking short trips and the like. We can work it out."

JR was relieved. "You know that I only work for us, for you, me and Ella and possibly other sons or daughters. In the future, I mean." He was careful not to make her feel rushed. Before plating up the food Sue-Ellen came over and kissed her husband and baby. "Of course. You will be President of Ewing Oil one day and I will be by your side. Now let's eat breakfast. We have the car to load. I want to be back in time to help your mama with the preparations for the New Year's Eve party tomorrow night."

Over in Austin Julie woke. She was hungover. Her drinking had become heavy of late, a way of relieving the tedium and pointlessness of her life. She cast her mind back to the night before. After meeting Cliff and thinking things over she had headed to a bar and become steadily drunk. Suddenly the end of the evening came back to her and she felt sick. She'd been picked up by a man who took her to his truck where they had sex on the back seat. Why did she constantly allow men to use her? she wondered. JR had, the man last night definitely had and Cliff was trying his best to in the future.

Her parents would be ashamed of her if they knew about the downward spiral that her life was in. She needed a fresh start. Something about Cliff's assurances of a new life far away from Texas didn't seem credible. However, JR always kept his promises when he needed a favour doing, she thought. The question was could she risk becoming involved with the latter once again? He had wreaked such havoc for her in the past. However, if she could screw enough money from JR to be able to get right away, buy a place of her own and obtain a proper job it might be worth taking the risk. She went to her kitchen drawer and took out Cliff's business card and inspected it.

JR and Sue-Ellen had an uneventful journey home. Ella slept most of the way. They were greeted back at Southfork by Jock and Miss Ellie. "Sue-Ellen, you look wonderful, so rested!" her mother-in-law exclaimed. "JR must have taken very good care of you. Oh give me that little girl. I need a cuddle. Ella, grandma has missed you so much!" "Did you JR? Did you take good care of your wife?" Jock enquired looking at his son meaningfully. "Yes of course, sir. We had a lovely time." JR lied. He knew exactly what his father meant. "When this little gem is settled would you mind helping me with the arrangements for the party tomorrow night please, Sue-Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired. "Yes of course I will. I'd like to" her daughter-in-law replied.

After a light lunch the two women assisted by Teresa set to work in the kitchen on the final party arrangements. Jock went out onto the ranch to speak to Ray and JR settled with the newspaper in the den. Ella was asleep in her carrycot by his side. The telephone rang and JR picked it up. "JR Ewing here, hello?" The voice on the other end was instantly recognisable and it chilled him to the bone. "I thought I told you that I never wanted anything more to do with you" he whispered through gritted teeth. Julie was shaking as she spoke. "I know JR but I thought you might want to know that I have been traced by Cliff Barnes. He has plans for you... and your wife." "My wife? What are you talking about?" "Oh yes, but information comes at a price, JR. The last time you saw me you threw a thousand dollars at me to leave town. It didn't last long. If you want to know what Cliff intends to do you will have to pay me a lot more than that. Twenty thousand should do it. Then I'm out of Texas forever" she replied. "It would have to be good to be worth that amount" JR muttered. "Oh it is, trust me. I'm offering you the opportunity to thwart his plans and get your own back, big style."

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 **Author's note: thanks for all the reviews. I am listening to your ideas. JR is getting his evil back!**


	51. Chapter 52

JR ended his conversation with Julie without making any commitment to taking the matter further. She could wait and he needed to think. However, the mention of Sue-Ellen and Cliff in the same sentence was all that was needed to cause him disquiet. He began piecing events together. Introduced to each other by his mother, of all people. The incident at the Oil Barons' Ball which at the time he had interpreted as Cliff harassing Sue-Ellen just to start trouble with him. Could there be more to it?

Intellectually he might have been able to accept that the possibility of an affair was remote. However, he was in emotional turmoil, his jealousy of his beautiful young wife having always been a particular weakness. He ruminated for a while. If they were having an affair what would he do about it? He concluded that he would not throw Sue-Ellen out. He wanted her too much for that. He might make life miserable for her, though, at least until she had learnt to tow the line. It was Cliff whose very existence he wanted to erase but to do that he needed what Julie knew. He began to hatch a plan. It wasn't without risk but he reckoned that it was worth it.

When Sue-Ellen joined her husband on the couch there was a notable froideur emanating from him. "Honey, is there something wrong?" she asked. She had just opened the door to the first stage of the plan. "We need to talk but not now. After dinner, in privacy." "Why not now? What is it? Tell me." JR glared at her. "Because right now I am angry and may not be responsible for my actions, Sue-Ellen." His words worked the trick. Sue-Ellen was now anxious and afraid. She knew what her husband was capable of but couldn't imagine what she had done to anger him.

The balance of the day and evening was spent by Sue-Ellen in an air of unerring tension. She was dreading bedtime. Whatever she had done she estimated that she was going to pay for it. It had been good in many ways to have the upper hand when she was angry with him and he was repentant. Now the tables had been turned and she didn't like it. Miss Ellie noticed a change in the atmosphere between her son and his wife. She gently enquired if all was well with Sue-Ellen. "I can feel a migraine coming on, Miss Ellie" Sue-Ellen lied "I'll be fine by the morning, thank you." Miss Ellie accepted her explanation but secretly felt that there was more to it. As usual she assumed that the fault lay with JR and hoped that he would hurry up and make things right. It had been wonderful to see the three of them so settled and happy. If JR had messed up again his father would have to deal with him, she mused.

Sue-Ellen barely ate her dinner, nausea from her migraine used as the excuse. JR was pleased. He had unnerved her and he was going to keep her that way until bedtime. The dinner table generally was quiet. Bobby was out. Miss Ellie suspected that there was a new girlfriend on the scene. Lucy was at Muriel's and would be back later. Jock and JR talked briefly about his return to work and how much there was to be achieved in the new year and Sue-Ellen and Miss Ellie exchanged just a few words about the party and Ella's development.

When JR and Sue-Ellen entered their bedroom there was none of the usual furious, passionate bedtime kissing. Sue-Ellen sat on an armchair and waited for her husband to speak. "This afternoon I received some information, Sue-Ellen. I'm not going to lie" he emphasised the word "lie". "It was from Julie Grey." Sue-Ellen made to speak. "Listen, don't interrupt" JR commanded forcefully. He wanted her on the retreat. "She has been contacted by Cliff Barnes and she says it has something to do with you and him." Sue-Ellen's stomach lurched. She decided to find out what it was that JR knew before telling him about her involvement with his enemy. "Have you been having an affair with him, Sue-Ellen? Because if you have everything is changed between us, possibly forever." JR shook his head and pretended to look sad. He had always been a good actor.

"JR, no! I swear." Sue-Ellen's head was swimming. How was she going to explain the link between her and Cliff. She could hardly deny that anything had happened between them other than the incident at the ball. If that was all that Julie had JR wouldn't be confronting her now. "Sue-Ellen?" JR knew he had her on the ropes and he wasn't going to let up. "JR, I, first of all Cliff has never laid a finger on me. That I can swear on our daughter's life. I have had some contact with him but nothing major." JR raised an eyebrow "go on." "Well, I met him first with your mama. I told you about that. Then the Oil Barons' and then after that I saw him at The Store." "When?" "That day when Miss Ellie and I went Christmas shopping, at your suggestion I hasten to add. Miss Ellie and I split up briefly and I saw him and we spoke." JR no longer looked sad. He was livid. "Spoke? About what? Unbelievable!"

Sue-Ellen was scared. She had seen JR like this before. She decided to tell him the truth. "He bought me a coffee and we talked for about ten minutes, that's all. He asked about my background and our marriage and I told him things were good between us. He told me that if I ever needed help I should go to him." "Why on earth would he say that?" "Well because he told me that I am an outsider, only a Ewing by marriage, and when it comes down to it you all stick together." "Is that what you believe, Sue-Ellen?" "No, of course not. I realised that he was trying to play mind games with me." JR caught hold of his wife by her wrist. "There's no need for that, JR. I'm telling you the truth." "Did he proposition you?" JR shook her roughly. "He said something like he was captivated by me. I didn't take any notice. I'm not interested in him. Please let me go." "Oh no, not until I have the whole truth. What else is there, Sue-Ellen, because I have the distinct impression that you have more to tell."

At this Sue-Ellen broke down in tears. JR hated to see her that way usually but this time he felt differently. He was glad she was upset. She had betrayed him and now she was going to pay. No more pandering to her, she was going to do what she was told in future. "Finally there was a Christmas card from him. It came the day that my mother was due to visit us." "Where is it? I want to see it." "I tore it up into tiny pieces and threw it away. It meant nothing. You and Ella are my world, I swear!"

"Wonderful! Sue-Ellen, all those days that you made me suffer for having been involved with Julie and there you are sneaking around with a man that you know I despise." Sue-Ellen dried her eyes and decided to go on the offensive. "Yes, JR. By the way what the hell are you doing remaining in contact with that slut? After all you promised me!" "She telephoned me. It was an Austin number. She's living there because I sent her away as part of making things right with you. She wants money, that's all, and guess what? I'm going to pay her! You have no say in this and wherever I end up in my bid to destroy that idiot Barnes, if I need your assistance I am having it. Do you understand?"

Sue-Ellen nodded her head. "Now I'm going downstairs to get a drink. Get undressed." Sue-Ellen shook her head. There was no way he was making love to her tonight after all he had said and done. "I'm not asking, Sue-Ellen. You will get undressed and I will have you. Make no mistake about that. You are mine and nobody else is ever going to have you. Understand?"

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	52. Chapter 53

Sue-Ellen did as she was told and changed into a cream silk negligee. She chose it deliberately because it was full-length and not too low cut at the front. If JR was going to force her she wasn't going to make it easy for him, she thought. A completely different side to her husband had emerged this evening. She had seen flashes only before of the uncompromising and cruel manner with which she was aware that he treated his adversaries. Tonight she had been treated as an adversary and when she attempted something akin to a come back he had crushed her.

JR re-entered the bedroom, a glass of bourbon in hand, as Sue-Ellen was putting her clothes into the laundry basket. "Leave it and get into bed" he growled. Sue-Ellen made to protest but the look on his face was a powerful inhibitor. JR quickly got undressed and got into bed. He was already erect, power and control his biggest aphrodisiac. He leaned over and started kissing Sue-Ellen's neck. "JR please, not like this. I'm sorry, I truly am, for having anything to do with Cliff. It was stupid and I don't know why I did it. I'm just not in the mood for that tonight."

"I can get you in the mood, darlin', aren't I always very good at that? Or is it Barnes that you really want?" His hand wandered to the strap of her negligee. He took it off her shoulder. "Take this off now, come on honey, or do you not want me? A husband has his rights you know." "You'll have to force me JR if you want to exercise those rights" she replied, guessing that this might put him off. It didn't. He roughly pulled her to him and got on top of her, his hand trying to make its way under the hem of her negligee. "Come on, Sue-Ellen, open those lovely long legs for me. Its never been a problem for you before." He kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Sue-Ellen wriggled but he was too strong for her. With his free hand he took hold of her arm and pinned it down above her head increasing his dominance.

She was scared but at the same time almost excited but she didn't want him to realise that what he was doing was kind of arousing. She was determined to regain the upper hand where she had him panting with desire for her but she controlled all the action. Sue-Ellen started kissing him back. JR giggled. He was getting his own way at last. The act of kissing tricked him into loosening his grip. He believed that she was now submitting to him. Sue-Ellen waited for just the right moment before lifting her knee and applying it swiftly and sharply to JR's groin. It was a self-defence tactic that she had learnt in college. Falling away from her in agony, JR groaned. Retaliation was impossible. He was in too much pain. Sue-Ellen jumped out of bed. "Don't ever think that you can behave that way to me again JR! The law may give you the right to use force because I am your wife but this is one wife who will fight back, every time! I will dictate when you can and can't have me. If you behave I will be very good to you. If you don't you'll get nothing."

Sue-Ellen exited the room and entered the guest room across the hall, leaving her husband. She would be back, probably later, to finish off what they had started, but this time on her terms. She giggled to herself. I hope I haven't hurt him too much, she thought. She did love him and he was rightfully angry with her about Cliff. However, he needed putting in his place and she had certainly succeeded in doing that.

Back in their bedroom JR slowly recovered. Rather than feeling anger towards his wife he was secretly impressed by her. She had always had fighting spirit but JR had underestimated the extent. She was right. She deserved respect. If he needed her to work with him against Cliff Barnes he would have to adopt a different tack, he thought. One in which they were partners in the true sense of the word.

Neither of them got much sleep that night. They weren't the only ones. Jock and Miss Ellie could hear the shouting from the far reaches of their room. Lucy knocked on their door when the shouting was at its height. "Grandma, I think uncle JR and aunt Sue-Ellen are having a fight!" "Go back to bed dear. Couples sometimes have an, erm, exchange of views. It's nothing to worry about." As Lucy retreated back to bed Miss Ellie looked worriedly at Jock. "Will you speak to him tomorrow? Please? He is going to lose that girl and baby at this rate." Jock nodded. JR and Sue-Ellen were like him and Miss Ellie when they were young. All passion and fireworks. They had thrived on it but Sue-Ellen was more mercurial in her moods than Miss Ellie had been. Jock wasn't sure how much more drama she would tolerate in her life before the attractions of someone else took her away from his son.

At 6am, after feeding and settling Ella, Sue-Ellen crept back into their bedroom. JR had finally drifted off to sleep about an hour earlier. She got into bed beside him which caused him to stir. Propping herself up by the arm she stroked her husband's head. He woke and looked at her. Both of them broke into a smile, followed by a fit of giggles and then kisses. "Remind me never to mess with you again, Sue-Ellen!" "Are you OK?" "If you mean will I be able to satisfy you this morning, then yes. Before I do, though, just tell me why you ever decided to get involved with that fool Barnes? I think I deserve an explanation, darlin." "Yes you do and I've been thinking about this most of the night. It's a self-esteem issue I guess. When I was young it seemed like nothing I ever did or how I looked was ever good enough for my mother. I could always stand to lose a few pounds, wear my hair differently or get better grades. It was only at college when I gained the attention of men, including you, that I felt, what's the word? Gratification. Cliff's obvious attention at a time when I was still angry with you was gratifying, I suppose. It's a flaw in my personality, I acknowledge, but I have never loved anyone other than you and I would never be unfaithful to you, I promise."

Her words chimed with JR. He too had experienced parenting that could hardly be described as warm and he knew how it felt to want approval desperately only to be disappointed and downcast when it didn't come. "Come here, we'll work it out. I love you. Now, we have some making up to do!"

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 **Author's note: This chapter is a bit of a homage to the famous "groin pull" scene between JR and SE. It's shocking but true that there was no criminal offence of marital rape in the USA until the mid-70''s with some states taking until the early 90's to introduce the offence. In the UK the defence against marital rape was removed in 1991. V bad. Thank you for all the reviews. They keep me going. Please let me know where you see this story going :)**


	53. Chapter 54

Sue-Ellen and JR were late down for breakfast. Miss Ellie persuaded her husband not to go upstairs to knock them up. She had sensed that whatever had caused her son and daughter-in-law to have a furious row had calmed down and they were best left alone. "Where are uncle JR and aunt Sue-Ellen this morning?" Lucy asked pointedly. Miss Ellie shot the young girl a warning glance. She was mischief making and Miss Ellie knew it. Jock lifted the newspaper and sighed. It was new year's eve. He hoped that the advent of a new year would bring more in the way of stability for his family. As he started reading Bobby entered the dining room. "Good morning, where are JR and Sue-Ellen?" Bobby had missed the row, returning home only after it had died down and all was quiet in the house.

"They had a massive fight last night!" Lucy exclaimed. "Really?" he looked at his mother quizzically. Miss Ellie simply nodded. As Bobby was just about to enquire further Sue-Ellen and JR came into the room. JR had his hand around his wife's waist and they both looked happy. Changing the subject rapidly Miss Ellie began to talk about the party. "Can Muriel come please?" Lucy asked. "Yes but no alcohol" her grandmother warned. "Are you bringing somebody, Bob?" JR asked. "No, JR. I'm seeing someone but it's early days and I'm not sure that it's her kind of scene." "Lucy, I'm going to the hair and beauty salon later. Do you want to come with me? Get your hair styled and your nails painted perhaps?" Sue-Ellen asked. "Oh yes, thank you. That would be wonderful!" Lucy replied. "JR, will Ella be alright with you while I am away?" "Yes darlin, I have a little bit of work that I need to attend to in the den but she will be just fine with her daddy."

Miss Ellie looked up at her husband and smiled. It looked as though they were going to have a pleasant time this evening. After breakfast JR grabbed hold of Sue-Ellen's arm. "I need to talk to you." He guided her into the den. "I intend to be straight up. I'm going to call Julie this morning and arrange to meet her. If you want to come with me, then fine. No secrets OK?" Sue-Ellen pondered for a moment before responding. "No JR that might be counter-productive. My last encounter with Miss Grey was hardly amicable and my presence might be inhibiting. You get what she knows, pay her and then it's over." JR took his wife gently by the shoulders. "It might have to go a little further than that, sugar. I have a feeling that I will need her to do a little more than simply tip me off as to what that termite has in mind. If I have to pay her a bit extra to go along with my plans then I intend to. This changes nothing though. Do you accept that?" Sue-Ellen nodded in agreement. It was rare indeed for JR to let her in on his machinations.

They parted company with a light kiss and Sue-Ellen made her way up to the nursery. Lucy was in there looking down and smiling at her little cousin. "Sue-Ellen, she is so cute and she has started listening to me when I speak to her!" Sue-Ellen smiled and took her daughter out of the cot carefully passing her to her cousin. "Yes, she is coming on in leaps and bounds." Lucy cuddled the baby girl. "She has the same colour of eyes as JR but otherwise she is pretty like you" she commented mischievously. "Lucy you are a little minx sometimes, always going out of your way to irritate your uncle!" Sue-Ellen giggled.

"Sue-Ellen, I could hear you both last night. Uncle JR was very angry with you. You're not going to leave him are you?" "Good Lord, Lucy, no! We had a disagreement that's all and now we are friends again. When you are older you will realise that relationships are complex and, at times, hard work but your uncle and I love each other and I'm going nowhere." Lucy was visibly relieved. "Good, because I like having you and Ella here. Life wouldn't be the same without you." Lucy may have created a lot of unnecessary drama for her young aunt in the past but her statement was heartfelt and Sue-Ellen appreciated it. She stroked the young girl's arm as a reassurance. "Now give me Ella back and go and get ready. We will be leaving straight after lunch."

Julie's number rang out several times before she answered it. The previous day had been stressful and she had relieved the tension with a bottle of red wine which she drank alone in her trailer before collapsing fully clothed on the bed. "It's me" JR greeted her coldly. "I've been thinking about your proposal. Now, if the information is of good quality and you go along with what I subsequently plan I'm prepared to pay you what you want If we are successful I will give you a generous bonus on top." Julie's mood brightened. This might just be her ticket to a new life. "I want to meet you. Can I come to where you live, to talk in private. Oh, and by the way, my wife knows all about this. There are no secrets between us any more."

Julie was disappointed by the news that Sue-Ellen was in on the plan. She hadn't contemplated this for one moment. The JR she knew was a man of secrets. There must be some reason why he had chosen to tell her, she thought. "No, you can't come here" she replied with alacrity. This place was the last place that she wanted him to see her. "You can come to where I work. It's out of the way so nobody will see us." "Alright, I return to work next week. I'll call you then and make the arrangements to come over. Finally, as a show of good faith, tell me, how did he trace you and what has he offered you?" JR wanted to ensure that it was Cliff and not him that was being double crossed. If he was Julie would struggle to come up with something convincing in reply. JR knew her. She was cunning but much more limited intellectually than him.

"I have no idea how he tracked me down but he's the DA isn't he? He can access all sorts of information I would imagine. As for what he has offered, well, just a job in the DA's office of my choosing." JR was satisfied- her latter answer had the total ring of truth where that cheapskate Barnes was concerned. As for what he had done to find Julie he would get Harry onto that straightaway. "Thank you. I'll be in touch. If and when Barnes contacts you next I need to know, alright? Oh and remember, Julie, you cross me at your peril. Understand?" The young woman realised she was in deep. There was no way back now that she had let JR Ewing back into her life. She was scared but tried not to show it in her voice. "Oh I recall only too well what you can do, JR. Trust me I'm never getting into that territory with you again. It's why I didn't dare to get involved with Cliff Barnes and contacted you instead." JR hung up. He already had the green shoots of a plan. Now it was time to enjoy his last few days at home with Sue-Ellen and Ella and there was a party to look forward to. By this time next year Cliff Barnes will be history, he smirked evilly.

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	54. Chapter 55

When Sue-Ellen and Lucy returned from the salon there wasn't a great deal of time to get ready for the party. Lucy rushed upstairs whereas Sue-Ellen went in search of JR. She wanted to find out whether he had made progress with Julie. "It's all fine, honey. I'm going to meet her where she works and discover what this really is all about. I'll tell you exactly when and I will be straight back on the next flight. I'm not hanging around, trust me. Anyhow haven't we got a party to get ready for?" Sue-Ellen was relieved by her husband's openness with her. "Yes we have" she replied "and I'm running late! I wanted to be ready in time to settle Ella down and then help with any last minute preparations." "If she's still awake why don't we bring her down to the party, just for five minutes, and show her off to our friends?" JR asked. He was very proud of his little girl and he wanted the guests to see how pretty and sweet she was. Sue-Ellen smiled. "Alright, only for a few minutes mind. You are going to be in trouble with that little girl when she is older. I have a feeling that she will be able to wrap her daddy around her little finger!"

Thirty minutes later JR and Sue-Ellen vied for the opportunity to look at themselves in their full length mirror. "Darlin, help me with this bow tie will ya?" JR looked handsome in his tuxedo, his wife thought as she began attending to his tie. In the rush to get ready JR hadn't paid much heed to his wife's attire but now that she was close up to him he began to look at her carefully. She had bought a black silk cocktail dress for the occasion. She hadn't been sure about it at first because it was rather more sophisticated than what she normally chose for herself. However, she had been assured by the sales assistant that she looked amazing in it.

JR inspected the dress carefully. It was low cut at the front and back, he noted, with slender cross back straps that accentuated her graceful shoulders and toned upper arms. It was the sexiest dress that he had ever seen her in. He suddenly felt conflicted. "Sugar, that dress looks wonderful on you but isn't it a little too revealing?" He stroked her décolletage with his finger as he continued. "I'm not sure that I want other men seeing you looking so sexy."

"Look JR. Other men can look all they like. It's only you who ever gets to see and have what's beneath this dress." Sue-Ellen realised that her husband was being insecure about her again. She knew what to do. Taking hold of the lapels of his jacket she pulled him to her and kissed him deeply and passionately. However, she didn't bank on how he would react next. Returning the kiss he backed her up against the bedroom wall. Before they knew it passion had overwhelmed the pair of them and he had his hand inside her panties, making her wet. In return Sue-Ellen stroked JR's crotch over his pants. He was gloriously erect. They were going to do it there and then. As Sue-Ellen hastily took off her panties JR freed his manhood. He picked her up, wrapping her legs around him. Before she knew it he was inside her, thrusting hard and deep, causing her to gasp in short, shallow breaths. He brought her to a climax using his finger. "Oh JR! Oh God that feels so good" she moaned. Within a minute later he had no choice but to let himself go, grunting with satisfaction as he came.

As he carefully released her and set her back on the floor they looked each other in the eyes. They shared exactly the same thought at exactly the same moment. "We did it without you wearing anything!" Sue-Ellen whispered breathlessly. "Sue-Ellen, I didn't intend to be reckless with you, I promise. It just happened" he replied. He was panicked that she might think that he had acted deliberately. "I just love you so much and I wanted you. I think you wanted me too?" "Of course I did but what if we have just made another baby?"

As they began to tidy themselves up JR tried to be rational. "It's possible but unlikely, honey. We just have to be more careful for the next few weeks. Anyway, if you are pregnant we'll manage. You're young and healthy and we have money. I'll help and if we need to hire another nanny, so what?" Sue-Ellen wasn't convinced but she wasn't going to risk another row with her husband not after what had just occurred between them which she had to admit she had been just as rash and foolish about as he had. "Alright then, now do I resemble anything like what I looked like before we got started?" She was anxious to look her best before joining the family downstairs. "You do. You are stunning" he responded. "And you are very handsome. Now let's go and see if Ella is still awake."

Miss Ellie was surprised to see her daughter-in-law join the party several minutes late. She was usually fastidiously punctual. However, as she noted JR and Sue-Ellen emerge into the hallway, Ella in her daddy's arms, she felt reassured that her daughter-in-law's tardiness was nothing to worry about. With beaming smiles the proud parents mingled with their guests, both of them taking pride in the compliments that their baby was attracting. Sue-Ellen made a beeline for Marilee Stone and her husband. She knew that the woman hated her and this was the perfect opportunity to needle her. "Marilee, Seth, how lovely to see you!" Sue-Ellen greeted them disingenuously. "Would you like to see our daughter?" Through gritted teeth Marilee uttered an equally insincere platitude and Sue-Ellen walked away, grinning to herself. I hope the little brat vomits all over her, Marilee thought as she sipped her drink.

All in all the party was a great success. Jock and Miss Ellie were very pleased with how it had gone. JR never left his wife's side and as they kissed on the strike of midnight they were both truly happy. "I hope there's less drama this year than there was last" Sue-Ellen murmured to JR between kisses. "Between you and I there will be darlin, I promise" he replied. His thoughts drifted to Cliff Barnes. On the contrary there will be a whole plague of problems for him this year though he thought as he took his wife's hand for one last dance.

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	55. Chapter 56

Julie Grey let the new year in at the bar where she worked. For once she was sober and as she walked home she began to feel upset. Earlier that day she had attempted to reach out to her parents by telephoning them to wish them all the best for the new year. Her father had been cold to her on the phone followed by her mother who had been positively glacial. She had made a mess of her life and now had one chance to redeem herself but the prospect worried her. JR Ewing was a dangerous man and she had seen at first hand during her time as his secretary just how conniving and evil he could be. Blackmail, bribery and corruption were the weapons in his armoury and he wasn't afraid to use them. Cliff Barnes had no idea what he was dealing with, she mused as she entered her trailer.

She was shocked to find Cliff sitting at her table. "My God! How did you get in here? How dare you!" she shrieked. "I just showed my ID badge to the manager of the park and he let me in. Don't be afraid, Julie. I reckoned that while everyone else, no doubt JR included, were partying it would be perfectly safe for me to come here. You see, I'm not sure that I can trust you and I have questions to ask that you need to answer." Julie's blood ran cold. He's on to me, she thought. Trying to remain casual she offered Cliff some coffee. "Yes please, it sure does get cold in here." She didn't respond. Whilst appearing cool on the surface inside she was panicking. She took her time and attempted to collect her thoughts. Surely JR hadn't told him of her approach to him? Why would he? Might it have been Sue-Ellen?

Settling down across the table from Cliff, two cups of coffee between them, Julie stared at him. "So, Cliff what's on your mind?" "There's a gap in your story." Cliff paused. Julie continued to make eye contact with him. "Go on." "You told me when we last met that JR had you run out of Dallas. Now that doesn't make sense. He didn't fire you, he just transferred you elsewhere in the company, you then resign and go somewhere else instead. Why would he need to have you fired from there and then banish you from town? Doesn't add up."

Julie realised that she couldn't get out of the hole she was in without confessing. "There was something that I held back from you, foolishly I now appreciate because of the job you do. On the day that Mrs. Ewing went into premature labour I was with her, at Ewing Oil. I told her a number of home truths about me and JR and I didn't pull my punches. Whether it was the shock I don't know but her waters broke and she went into labour. I was the cause of JR having a premature baby and his wife hating him, at least for a time. You know how he operates. He was never going to let me get away with that. I didn't tell you all of that because, to be completely frank, I was ashamed of myself and didn't know how you would feel about me if you knew the truth. All I know was that on that day I really hated Sue-Ellen Ewing. In fact I still do!"

Julie thought that their hand of virtual poker was at an end. It was the truth and it put into perfect context why she was prepared, at least on the face of it, to co-operate with Cliff. However, Cliff was still suspicious. "How do I know that what you have just told me is the truth?" "Because I rang for the ambulance! You can check with the ambulance service. In fact I insist that you do." Cliff sat back in his seat. His body language told her all she needed to know. He visibly relaxed and smiled. "There's no need for that. I believe you. You do realise that it isn't wise to withhold anything about your dealings with JR from me don't you?"

"Yes, I'm sorry" Julie replied. "Have you made any further progress with your plan?" It was her turn now to pump Cliff for information that would be useful to her when she met with JR. Cliff nodded vigorously. "I can't go into detail, not at this point. Let me just say that a plan is emerging which can go into operation from early new year. At that point JR will be back in the office and his wife's routine will become more settled and predictable. I will engineer an accidental meeting with Sue-Ellen" Cliff emphasised the word "accidental" and made apostrophe gestures with his hands "at which I will repeat my interest in her. After that is where you come in. We have to let Sue-Ellen know, subtly at first, that you are back in town and then manipulate a situation in which she sees you and JR together. Not quite figured that part out yet. That's the trickiest bit. From everything I know about the young Mrs. Ewing and with a little more manipulation from me the sight of you and JR together will send her running from Southfork straight into my arms."

"Gosh! That's really good" Julie responded. She wanted just a tiny bit more without arousing his suspicion again. "I have to say that I don't know what you and JR see in her. Why do you want her that badly?" "Why do you think? I've no interest in a long term relationship with her. For a start I wouldn't want to have to bring up a Ewing child, particularly not one of JR's. No, I'll get what I want from her physically and then send her back to JR as damaged goods. It will drive him crazy and let him know just how painful it is to have something so important to him taken so cruelly and peremptorily away. Just like what his father did to my daddy." Cliff's eyes gleamed as he fantasised about the carnage that would ensue if he was successful.

"Wicked but truly brilliant! Julie deliberately flattered him. "I'm in. You just tell me what to do and when and I will do it. Remember though, you have guaranteed me a job and protection. I fancy Florida where my sister lives. A complete fresh start in the sunshine." "Oh I never go back on my promises, unlike the Ewings." Cliff got up. "Now that my mind is at rest I can start to make more concrete plans. I'll be in touch, Julie, real soon." Cliff left. What an asshole, Julie thought to herself as she locked up and started to get ready for bed. She began to feel almost sorry for Sue-Ellen. However, she reminded herself that her feelings had nothing to do with this. Her mission was financially motivated only and at this rate it might be worth as much as thirty grand to enable JR to double cross him and preserve the dignity of his young wife.

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	56. Chapter 57

Julie had a restless night pondering on the information that she had gleaned from Cliff. He is just as big a user as JR, she thought, only JR is cleverer. She finally settled after determining that JR should be informed immediately about Cliff's midnight visit to her. She would call him in the morning, first thing. That way she would demonstrate her total loyalty to him, loyalty for which she hoped to be generously rewarded.

JR woke up to find that he was alone in bed. He was hungover from the party the night before. Sue-Ellen must be with Ella or at breakfast he reckoned as he rolled onto his back and stretched. As he was debating whether to try to go back to sleep or to get up the telephone rang. It rang out several times before he decided to pick up the receiver. "Where are the staff when you need them?" he muttered to himself. "Hello, JR Ewing here." "Thank goodness it was you who picked up!" Julie sounded anxious. "I thought I told you..." However, before he could finish his sentence Julie interjected. "I know but something happened in the early hours that you need to know about, as does your wife." JR's interest was pricked, particularly at the mention of Sue-Ellen. "Well, go on then. It had better be good though."

As Julie started to explain JR could feel his bile beginning to rise. How dare that idiot plan to seduce and spoil Sue-Ellen just to get revenge for what had happened to Digger? To be sure, he took Julie over what Cliff had told her several times before he was satisfied as to its accuracy. "You did the right thing calling me even though you were taking a risk where my family are concerned. I will be in touch with you again. In the meantime if anything else arises you can call me at the office as from tomorrow. Alright?" Julie expressed her assent and rang off. Just as she did so, Sue-Ellen entered the bedroom. She sat on the bed next to her husband and smiled. "Are you feeling a little delicate, my love?" JR nodded. "I did tell you that it wasn't such a good idea to sit up with Jock and Bobby drinking after all the guests had gone!"

JR took her hand. "How's my little girl?" "She's just fine. She's having a mid-morning nap." JR's expression darkened at the thought of Cliff having the slightest thing to do with his wife and child. "JR? Are you alright?" Sue-Ellen enquired. "Not really. I've just had a call from Julie Grey. Cliff let himself into her place last night and interrogated her." Sue-Ellen looked shocked. "Did she tell him anything?" "No, but he told her quite a lot. He is intent on trying to ruin us, you in particular, darlin." JR began to recount what Julie had informed him. He took his wife through the conversation with Cliff line by line pausing for effect before he delivered the killer final sentences.

By the end Sue-Ellen was in tears. This wasn't part of the life that she envisaged when she became a Ewing. It was far too cruel and ruthless for her liking. She had always known that JR had enemies. That was part and parcel of the business that he was in and he could cope with it but she had never envisaged that she might also be targeted. JR gently wiped her cheek with his thumb. "Oh no, don't get upset sugar. Nothing is going to happen to you. You are perfectly safe with me. I told you all about this for two reasons. First, I want to be open and honest with you, always. Second, it occurs to me that we, as partners, need to think about what we do next. I'm thinking about giving that idiot precisely what he wants- another meeting with you." Sue-Ellen gasped. "I don't want that man anywhere near me, JR!"

"I know but nothing bad will happen, I promise. I need information and you are the perfect candidate to obtain it for me. As he is busy with acts preparatory to seducing you he may let his guard down and tell you something very useful." JR could tell by Sue-Ellen's face that she had serious reservations about what he had just suggested. "I won't force you to do anything that you don't want to, honey." He began twisting a lock of her hair gently around his finger. She knew he was trying to get round her. "If you go along with it, just at first, that idiot is likely to taste the sweet smell of success, become complacent and begin to make mistakes. Mistakes that will be to my, our, advantage. Sue-Ellen, I didn't start this. He did."

"I guess I could meet him, somewhere very public where he wouldn't dare try anything." Sue-Ellen wanted to please her husband. "Where did you have the coffee with him?" JR enquired. "In the restaurant at The Store. He wouldn't do anything there, would he?" "Hmmm, let me have a think about that" JR responded. Sue-Ellen was a little frightened but at the same time excited. She and her husband were in partnership, plotting the downfall of a man who was now not only his enemy but hers as well. "I have a phone call to make, darlin. To an associate who supplies me with information from time to time. Afterwards shall we take Ella for a walk? I want to spend as much time as possible with her before I go back to work tomorrow." Sue-Ellen kissed him and went out of the room. She too wanted some family time with JR and their daughter.

JR picked up the phone and dialled. "Harry? Happy new year! I need some information from you."

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	57. Chapter 58

"JR! Same to you. What can I do for you?" Harry McSween was indeed pleased to hear from JR. He and his wife had just booked a Caribbean cruise and he could do with the money. "Well just right now it's some information that I require. However, I suspect that a bigger job will come out of it" JR replied. "Shoot." "What does it take to bring a District Attorney down these days? I mean total destruction." McSween realised immediately who JR's proposed victim was. He too had seen the newspaper reports of the fracas at the Oil Barons' Ball."

"Corruption JR, involvement in corruption whether it be bribery, blackmail, either way, or any other behaviour that is majorly dishonest or criminal. Forget about moral turpitude. The powers that be don't care if a DA has an affair for example. It has to be conduct that is injurious to the integrity and reputation of the office" Harry replied. "Thanks, I thought that would be the case. That's all I need for now. I will be in touch though in the very near future. Give my regards to your good lady wife. See ya." JR hung up and set about thinking. The ideal plan would involve not only the ruination of Cliff but some sort of benefit to Ewing Oil at the same time.

Once he was showered and dressed he joined Sue-Ellen who was preparing Ella for her walk. Tucking the little baby into her pram all nice and cosy they set off. As they walked away from the house JR looked at his wife. She had on tight jeans, a fitted shirt and a jacket. Her favourite caramel coloured boots completed the outfit. Even casually dressed she looked so sexy, he mused. Suddenly the thought of Cliff intruded. A vision of him touching her, undressing her and having sex with her revolted him. Calm down, he told himself. It isn't going to happen. Sensing that her husband was unsettled Sue-Ellen began to speak. "Have you thought about engineering a situation where I meet Cliff at The Store, JR?" Because of what he had just been thinking the idea of Cliff and Sue-Ellen being within a mile of each other was now repulsive to him. He knew it probably had to happen at some point but he was no longer in a rush. He could alter the timetable of his plans without any real detriment he reckoned to himself.

"Well honey, yes I have been thinking about that and I am not sure that it would be in our interests to risk making it look obvious. Barnes is an idiot but he's not totally unintelligent. Look at how he went back to question Julie. No, you just go about your day to day life and let him do all the hard work to find you. That way he is going to suspect nothing." "Ok, my love, whatever you say" Sue-Ellen replied. "I trust you, totally." Her words were unexpectedly affecting. JR brought their pace to a halt and took his wife by the shoulders. "We're a team, you and I, Sue-Ellen. I will take good care of you, you do know that don't you?" "Yes of course and in my own way I will take good care of you" she replied. JR was pleased. He smiled and kissed her gently.

As they continued the walk their conversation strayed into other territory, their hopes for the future. "I want to give you, us, a son. Someone who will carry on his daddy's legacy. Someone who will look out for his older sister and make sure she is alright" Sue-Ellen announced. JR gulped. He had his father's words about the desirability of a second child in mind "When? It's your decision, sugar, you do know that don't you?" "Of course I do. Well, unless I'm already pregnant I would say in the not too distant future. When Ella is a year old maybe?" JR was delighted. He halted their progress once again. "I just want to say, Sue-Ellen, that you amaze me. You are so young yet so confident and wise. Sometimes you make me look like an overgrown schoolboy!" His wife giggled. "It's how a marriage should be. I take care of you and our child, children hopefully, and you protect us by being successful in business and in beating off our enemies. We complement and enhance each other. It's what I always dreamed of for our marriage." The kiss that followed was natural and unforced. They loved each other and all was well, at least for now. JR knew that there would be challenges ahead but he was sure that the love they felt would always prevail over their problems.

As they looked down into the pram at their daughter and made eye contact with her they were sure that they had just witnessed her smile for the very first time. "Is it wind?" JR enquired. "No, I don't think so. She was fed ages ago. In fact we'd better hurry as she is due a feed in about half an hour." As they set off back for the house JR did something that he didn't often do. He took hold of his wife's hand and held it tight.

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	58. Chapter 59

After a very pleasurable half an hour with Sue-Ellen JR got up. He would have to hurry if he was to get to the office for 9am prompt. Overnight he had been hatching his plan for Cliff's destruction. If it came off it would be significantly to the benefit of Ewing Oil at the same time. Sue-Ellen watched him drowsily from their bed. It would soon be time for her to get up to feed their baby. "Are you looking forward to going back?" she enquired. "In some ways yes, in others no. I'm going to miss you and our little girl" he replied. "Let's think of something nice to do at the weekend together" she suggested. "Alright, I'll leave it with you to decide,honey."

By 9.30am all three of the Ewing men were in Jock's office. The future of the company was the topic for discussion. "We need a refinery, daddy. Ewing Oil shouldn't just be producing crude oil. We should be refining and selling it as well. Now if Collins hadn't welched on the deal last autumn we would have been up and running by now." JR threw the Collins episode into the mix just to get at his younger brother. Jock shot a glance at Bobby but decided not to say what he felt. "Well, JR, that's all over and done with now. However, you are right about us needing a refinery. The Collins refinery was, in my view and upon reflection, a little too far away from Dallas to have been conducive to effective business. What we need is to find a suitable plot and build our own."

Jock had just let himself fall straight into the hands of his eldest son. "Phew! It's ambitious but I guess we could do it. With the right backing from the bank of course." JR replied. Bobby nodded. He was excited to have been let in on this project by his father and brother. "Tell you what, daddy, why don't I start looking for a piece of land and at the same time Bobby can start speaking to the civil engineers and surveyors? I imagine that we would need all sorts of planning consents before we could go ahead."

"Good idea, JR. I will make an appointment with Harve Smithfield to discuss the legalities. This could mark a whole new chapter for the company." Jock was excited. So were his sons. However, JR's motivation was not entirely business related. When he returned to his office he picked up the phone. His first call was to Sue-Ellen. "Hello darlin'. You haven't got anything particular planned today have you?" JR knew he couldn't risk his wife bumping into Cliff without being fully briefed first. "No, why do you ask?" she replied. "Because I need to speak to you first, about Barnes." "Alright. I was just going to go for a run while Ella takes her nap. I'll see you before dinner." "Yes fine. Oh and remember. I like your body just as it is at the moment. Don't go trying to lose any more weight." Sue-Ellen giggled. "I won't. I just like to stay fit and toned. Bye bye. I love you, JR." "I love you too. See you later."

The next call he made was to Julie Grey. He needed to keep her on side. "Julie, it's me. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm putting something together that will require your help but not in the immediate future." "Are you going back on what we agreed?" Julie asked with a heavy degree of irritation in her tone. "No, that's why I am calling you now. It doesn't affect our deal. That's still on. I have just had to alter what I had originally put together. It's because of what you told me, about what Cliff said. In the meantime if he contacts you I want to know about it. Do you understand?" "Yes of course, JR." The young woman was relieved. For a moment she thought that she was going to be a victim yet again of JR's ruthlessness.

The rest of the day was spent by the Ewing men researching the viability of building the refinery. JR made progress with the land issue and Bobby was heavily engaged in discussions about the building and engineering work that would be required. By the time they all got home they were buzzing with excitement. JR went upstairs to find Sue-Ellen. She was getting ready for dinner and was partially clothed when he entered the room. The temptation to throw her down on the bed and have his way with her was difficult to resist. However, JR realised that he had promised to speak to her. Sitting down on the bed he began. "Honey, we are going to build a refinery! When Cliff finds you and makes an approach I need you to slip that fact into the conversation." Sue-Ellen raised her eyebrow. "Alright... Is there anything else I need to know?" "I will give you information on a drip feed basis and you will communicate it to him in exactly the same way so that he suspects nothing. How are your acting skills, sugar?" "They will just have to be good enough to fool that horrible little man, won't they?" she responded. At that he jumped off the bed and kissed her. "These are exciting times darlin, for both of us" he exclaimed. Sue-Ellen seemed less sure but, as ever, she wanted to please him. She wriggled free of his grasp. "Come on! You know how your daddy feels about anyone being late for dinner."

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	59. Chapter 60

It took JR three weeks and a lot of hard work to find the right plot of land upon which he hoped to build the refinery. It took Cliff almost the same amount of time and effort to find Sue-Ellen. He had had a near miss on a previous occasion when he had dropped into The Store on the off chance. He spotted her at the perfumery section. She looked as beautiful as ever, radiant in fact. Cliff watched from a distance for a while as his prey discussed her needs with the sales assistant. He wanted to find the right moment to approach her.

Suddenly a voice intruded. "Cliff, what are you doing?" He spun round to see his younger sister, Pamela. Usually he would have been happy to see her. They had always been very close. However, today he was visibly irritated by her presence. Pamela glanced in the direction in which her brother had been staring. She was always quick on the uptake. "Cliff, no!" she whispered. "Do you know who she is?" her brother asked. "Of course I do. JR Ewing's wife is forbidden fruit. I thought you would have realised that after what happened at the ball." Somehow she sensed that her attempts to advise him were falling on stony ground. She adopted a sterner tone and took his arm. "You are coming to my office now, Cliff. We can have coffee there." Cliff recognised that his sister wasn't going to leave it. "Alright then" he huffed. Pamela kept her brother in her office just long enough to ensure that the young Mrs. Ewing had exited the building. As Cliff went to leave to return to his own office Pamela cautioned him. "Leave that woman alone, please Cliff. No good can come of it, I promise you." She didn't appreciate at the time how prophetic her words were. "Leave it Pam, you don't understand" Cliff replied gruffly as he bade his sister farewell.

Their actual meeting came when both of them least expected it. Sue-Ellen was browsing in a small yet select designer babywear boutique in downtown Dallas. Cliff was rushing past intent on buying something to eat. It was the lunchtime adjournment of a trial that he had started at the courthouse. He had one hour. As he passed the boutique instinct caused him to look inside. There she was and she was alone! Whilst his thoughts should have been on the evidence that he was about to call he couldn't resist going in. "Sue-Ellen! Hello. How are you? Long time no see" he began. Sue-Ellen looked surprised. In truth she was. Attempting to play it cool she responded formally. "Hello, Mr. Barnes. I'm very well, thank you. Did you have an enjoyable Christmas?" "It was good thanks. You?" Sue-Ellen gathered her shopping bags and made to leave the boutique. Cliff followed. "You shouldn't have sent that card. I managed to intercept it but only just" she scolded as they came out. "I know, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you. Have you had lunch? I'm just going. There's a quiet little place just round the corner. We can catch up." He knew he was pushing it but he had waited so long to encounter her again he felt that it was now or never. He had to get her on the hook.

Appreciating that he might be suspicious if she readily accepted his invitation Sue-Ellen deliberately paused. "You and I can't do this, Cliff. My husband would kill me if he knew that I have spoken to you let alone accepted lunch from you." "Does he allow you no freedom? What harm can a quick bite to eat do?" Cliff smiled. He could tell she was wavering. "Alright then but I can't stay long." Using her best acting skills she made sure that she sounded doubtful. "Neither can I. I have to be back in court for two."

As Sue-Ellen followed Cliff into the restaurant she ensured that she kept their conversation general. She had learnt the script that her husband had fed to her and was now following his advice as to how and when to deliver it. In fact her determination to keep the conversation strictly above board served only to frustrate Cliff as their lunch progressed. Sue-Ellen could see what was happening and so she permitted him the opportunity to be more direct. "Let's drop the act, Sue-Ellen. I know how unhappy you were with JR at the Oil Barons' Ball and I can guess why. JR has always been a philanderer. Oh I imagine that he has tried to worm his way back into your affections by giving you expensive jewellery and letting you have open access to his cheque book. However, I believe that you are different from the usual gold diggers that JR has known. You have class and spirit."

Sue-Ellen lowered her eyes. Cliff was so transparent it was almost funny. Looking up again at him sadly she replied "and you are very perceptive. Things aren't great between my husband and I at present. I'm not going to go into it though. JR is trying, he really is but I'm not sure that we can work things out." "Have you had advice, matrimonial I mean?" "Not yet" Sue-Ellen lied. There were many things that she didn't wish to reveal to him and her consultation with a divorce attorney at a time when things were terrible at home was one of them. "Well, when the time comes I can recommend someone." Cliff stressed the word "when" and at that point Sue-Ellen totally hated him. "Yes, of course, you are right. I recall you advising me previously about the Ewings' habit of standing united at times of 's not just past infidelity you know." It was about time for Sue-Ellen to deliver her lines. "He's always at work. It's all-consuming. What with the refinery and everything I rarely see him these days." Cliff's curiosity was aroused. "Refinery?" he asked. "Sorry, I shouldn't say any more. I've already said too much." Sue-Ellen stood up. Cliff grasped her hand. His touch was repulsive but she managed to keep her cool. "It's just that they are buying a plot of land to build a refinery on. To be honest I'm bored to death with it." She gently but firmly removed his hand from hers. "I have to go, Cliff. Thank you for lunch. I don't think it's wise that we see each other again though." "Sue-Ellen, listen to me. There is a time coming when I predict that you will need a friend. On your own you are completely vulnerable. Please stay in touch. My only concern is for you. You aren't like the Ewings because really you aren't one of them. Think about it." Sue-Ellen nodded her head but didn't respond. She had him just where she and JR needed him.

As Cliff watched her walk out of the restaurant he felt almost triumphant. The game was on, he thought as he paid the bill and hurried back to court. He would contact Julie again that evening. Meanwhile, having waited until the coast was clear Sue-Ellen permitted herself a wicked giggle. However, almost immediately afterwards, she felt a pang of guilt and a sensation of uncertainty. All this plotting and scheming wasn't really her. She just wanted to be a normal wife and mother. She resolved to discuss her anxiety with JR when he came home from work that evening although she wasn't sure that he would just let her give up now. After all, today had gone as successfully as it could.

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	60. Chapter 61

The three Ewing men stood looking at a map and a plan. They were surrounded by their architect, several engineers and Mr. Smithfield, their lawyer. "It's the perfect spot for a refinery" Jock commented. The others nodded. "What's the next step then, Harve?" JR enquired. He already knew the answer. "The consents from the Government to building a refinery on that land, JR. It's a route that I have trodden many times before in my career. The planning official that has been allocated to the case is a man called Bob McKenzie. I know him. He's fair and has always been a friend to the independent oilmen of this good State. I'm reasonably confident that we can get this through in the minimum period possible." "Very good, Harve" JR replied, smiling at his father and younger brother. In fact through the efforts of Harry McSween JR had deliberately engineered a situation in which McKenzie had their application for planning consent allocated to him. A generous bribe to his immediate senior had sealed the deal. There was one very good reason other than the fact that McKenzie tended to go soft on the applications of independent oilmen for JR's determination that he would have conduct of the Ewings' application. Harry's research exercise into the man's background had been worth every penny.

All was going well. Julie Grey was on side and ready to move whenever JR needed her to. The one thing that hadn't happened yet was the accidental encounter between Cliff and Sue-Ellen. JR pondered on the issue as he tidied his desk ready to go home. I might just have to give that idiot Barnes a shove in the right direction at this rate, he thought.

In the legal quarter Cliff was sitting at his desk staring into space. He was mentally rehearsing everything that he and Sue-Ellen had talked about over lunch. He picked up the phone. "Julie? It's me, Cliff. I managed to meet up with Sue-Ellen today. For reasons that I can't go into I will need to meet up with her on a further occasion or two before you spring into action. Understand?" Julie paused. She didn't know what was going on. Why were both of her so-called employers suggesting delay? "Well, frankly, no Cliff but as I trust you I can wait. I take it that there is fresh information that you need to assimilate?" She was pushing her luck but as Cliff was riding on the crest of a wave of arrogance he decided to reply. "Yes, I have just found out that not only do I have the opportunity to destroy JR's marriage, I can ruin a crucial business deal for him at the same time." "Interesting Cliff. Good luck." You are going to need it man, she thought as she hung up.

When JR got home he found Sue-Ellen in the nursery with Ella. He was feeling amorous and wanted his wife to come into the bedroom with him. Sue-Ellen settled her baby down in her cot and took her husband's hand. She had seen that look on his face many times before but he was not getting his own way this time. "We need to talk, JR. I met up with him today. Of all the places in the world he spotted me in that babywear boutique that I like." JR chuckled evilly. "I thought that fool was never going to locate you! How did it go, sugar?" JR took hold of her around her waist. "Perfectly. He is so puffed up with his sense of his own self-importance that he had no idea that I was playing him." JR went to kiss her. Could today get any better? he mused "However..." Sue-Ellen's tone of voice altered. "Having done it the once I don't really want to have to do it again. You have no idea what it was like for me and I'm not sure that it's an act that I can keep up. He is so creepy and lecherous."

JR removed his arms from her waist and took hold of her by her shoulders. "I know, honey, but I need you to meet with him at least once more time. We are getting close but without you I can't do anything." "Are you sure that there is no other way?" Sue-Ellen asked. JR stroked her cheek. "I'm sure. If there was I wouldn't have involved you in the first place. You know how I feel about you." JR began to undo the top button of her blouse. Sue-Ellen wasn't the only one in the marriage who could use sex as a tool of persuasion. "What do I have to do next?" JR was kissing the nape of her neck. He was turning her on. "Hmmm? Oh just like today. Impart some information that I need him to have. Next time, though, you need to be ever so slightly more forward with him." He undid her second button, took her hand and guided her to their bedroom. "What do you mean be more forward?" Sue-Ellen pulled away from him. She was concerned. JR stopped kissing her. "You know honey. You are the mistress of it. That smile, the eye contact, the ladylike but overt flirtation. That's all." Sue-Ellen was about to protest but she couldn't. JR had pulled her onto the bed. She wanted him and he wanted her. She would think about what he had just said later.

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 **Author's note: sorry about the sloppy proof-reading in the last chapter. Accidentally deleted part of it. Thank you for all your reviews.**


	61. Chapter 62

Every time Sue-Ellen attempted to broach the subject of meeting up with Cliff again JR closed her down. As she sat up in bed one night pondering the issue she decided that it was worth adopting a different tack- her husband's jealousy. As JR got into bed Sue-Ellen began. "JR, we need to talk. I'm anxious about the Cliff thing." Not again darlin, I've told you all will be well" he replied, a hint of irritation in his tone. Sue-Ellen wasn't for giving up. "You've told me that I have to be flirtatious with him. I don't exactly understand what it is that I have to do." This proved to be a more effective approach as it implied that she wasn't going to disobey him.

"Honey, it's exactly the same as when you and I were first going out. You had a way with you of giving out all the right signals- that smile, the way you touched your hair, the eye contact. You exuded sex but had no intention of letting me have it with you. It drove me wild." Sue-Ellen looked a little taken aback. "Are you saying that I was a tease?" "Yes and it was so exciting, intoxicating even. Sugar, take it as a compliment. No other woman has ever made me feel like that. It was the same when we had our difficulties after Ella was born. You would only let me touch you on your terms and for the benefit of others to maintain the façade that we were fine but you also knew precisely the effect it was having on me. I think you secretly enjoyed the feeling of power you had over me. You see, we're not that different when it comes down to it really."

"What if he, Cliff, tries to touch me?" Sue-Ellen wondered if this would make JR re-consider. "Oh he will, be sure of that. You have to anticipate it and avoid it. The crazier it makes him, the better. Now, let's take this little negligee off. You have wifely duties to perform." As Sue-Ellen submitted to him she realised that there was no way out of this. The sooner it was done with, the sooner she could return to a normal life.

Several weeks and several conversations with Julie Grey later JR decided it was time for the next move. Taking Sue-Ellen out for a walk around the ranch so as not to be overheard he issued his commands. "Darlin, tomorrow morning you are going to ring Barnes at his office and ask to meet up with him. You want his recommendation as to a divorce lawyer. He will almost certainly bite on that. You will arrange to meet him straight after your next DOA meeting." "What about your mother? I usually drive her there and back" she replied. "I've looked at her diary. She isn't going to attend that meeting. There's an event on at Lucy's school on the same day. You can just tell her that you will go alone so as not to let the organisation down totally. We have to have a convincing story for him to meet you and this is just perfect. Alright honey?"

Sue-Ellen looked doubtful. "OK, so what is it that you need me to say to him then?" As they continued the walk JR gave her the pre-prepared script. He would test her on it in the days that were to come before she met Cliff. After a somewhat sleepless night, interrupted by Ella who was coming down with a cold and was a little ratty as a result, Sue-Ellen took her place in the den. As she dialled the number on Cliff's card she felt jittery. "Cliff Barnes here, who's speaking please?" "Cliff, it's me." Cliff's eyes lit up. He had been reclining in his office chair but the sound of Sue-Ellen's voice caused him to sit upright. "Sue-Ellen, what is it?" He hoped against hope that she wanted to see him again. "I need to talk to you. It's about the offer you made to recommend a divorce attorney to me. I think, I know, I've reached that point now. I can't do this conversation over the phone though. There are too many people around here. I have taken a risk in calling you now" she whispered. "You tell me when and where and I will be there" Cliff replied. This is a massive breakthrough, he thought. "It's difficult for me to get out without being asked questions, especially with the way things are between JR and I at the moment, but I have to attend a DOA meeting on Thursday. Miss Ellie can't make it. I could meet you afterwards without arousing suspicion." Cliff glanced at his diary. He was meant to be on day three of a four day trial that day but the defence attorney had already been in touch enquiring about a plea bargain and so Cliff was confident that the trial would crack on the first day. "Yes, of course, Sue-Ellen. Surely I will meet you." Sue-Ellen hurriedly gave him the balance of the details, being concerned to keep up the act that she was taking a risk by making the call to Cliff, and hung up.

She turned to JR who had been standing silently next to her all along. "Are you happy now?" she enquired. "Yes I am, darlin. That was very good. Now, we have to work out what you will wear. It's a DOA meeting first so you will need to have appropriate attire for that. However, something that will show off that great body at the same time. You know what I mean don't you?" Sue-Ellen nodded but deep down she was put out. Her husband had manipulated her and was now using her. It felt unnatural but, more pertinently, dangerous and she didn't like it.

When Thursday morning came JR was on great form. He was excited and keen for the next part of the plan to go into operation. Sue-Ellen was subdued, a fact that was ironically more in keeping with the play acting that would take place on her part later. At breakfast she pushed some fruit around her plate whilst her husband ate heartily. "Where's Bobby this morning?" Jock enquired, looking up from his bacon and eggs. "He's been out all night, again" Miss Ellie replied pointedly. "I looked into his bedroom a few minutes ago. We hardly see him these days. He's been very cagey when I have asked about his comings and goings." Jock pondered for a moment. It must be a woman. Although it was tempting to just ask his son outright he was a grown man and entitled to a private life. "Just leave it, Ellie. He'll tell us when he's ready."

Sue-Ellen got up. She was wearing a dark red blouse and a black, fitted pencil skirt with a slit in the side. JR admired her as she rose. "You look lovely, honey. Where are you off to?" JR enquired. He didn't want his parents to suspect a thing. "I'm going to a DOA meeting in town. I'm on my own today though." "Mama?" JR kept up the pretence. "It's careers day at Lucy's school. I have to go there instead. Sue-Ellen has kindly offered to be the Ewing representative on the DOA today" his mother responded. "In fact, I must get a move on. Lucy, come on dear. Get your things together."

JR and Sue-Ellen walked out together. As she went to get into her car he took hold of her by the arm and kissed her. "Now listen, darlin, follow what I told you and don't let that dirt-bag put his hands anywhere near you. He can look but not touch. When you get back here afterwards I want you to call me and give me chapter and verse." "Alright, JR." She kissed him back. "By the way, you really do look great, ladylike but sexy." They parted company, Sue-Ellen feeling a sense of dread. She had a two hour meeting to get through first in which she would be expected to contribute her ideas with her usual sparkle and enthusiasm. However, it was what was going to happen afterwards that dominated her thoughts as she accelerated away from the ranch.

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	62. Chapter 63

Sue-Ellen politely declined the invitation by Mavis Anderson and some of the other ladies to join them for lunch on the ground that she wished to spend the afternoon with her baby daughter, an excuse that was readily accepted. She got into her car and, as planned, drove quickly down two blocks and up a side street to the right. Cliff was standing on the pavement waiting for her. "Get in!" Sue-Ellen ordered as she drew up alongside him. "Where are we going?" Cliff enquired. This was exciting. "I can't risk being seen in public with you. Let's go for a drive and park up somewhere quiet" Sue-Ellen replied. Her heart was thumping. So was Cliff's but for an entirely different reason.

Ten minutes later she stopped the car and took off her seat-belt. She had parked her car in a quiet corner of a car park that belonged to an old fashioned Texan diner way off the beaten track. "Will you go inside and bring me a coffee out please?" she asked. "Sure, white, no sugar?" "Yes please." She rummaged in her bag for her purse. "No, Sue-Ellen, I'll get these." The request had been strategic. Sue-Ellen reckoned that it would be more difficult for Cliff to try anything on if she had a hot cup of coffee in her hand. Better still, she thought, if he also had to contend with one.

While he was away she collected her thoughts. JR had been very specific about what she had to say. It was how to introduce the information that she was scared about. She couldn't risk him suspecting that he was being set up. When Cliff returned and handed the cup to her he adopted the now familiar tactic of touching her hand for just that little bit too long. Sue-Ellen forced a smile in return. "Thank you, Cliff." Cliff got back into the passenger seat and shut the door. He took a sip of his coffee before beginning their conversation. "So, you need a divorce lawyer, Sue-Ellen. I am sorry." "Don't be insincere. It doesn't suit you." Sue-Ellen looked at him directly in the eyes and smiled. It was easier than she thought to introduce the element of flirtation as JR had demanded. "I prefer the brutally honest Cliff Barnes. It makes a change from the lies and secrecy that I tolerate at home." Cliff was delighted. He hadn't even needed to use Julie Grey yet. JR's and Sue-Ellen's marriage was imploding without her. He glanced down. The small slit in her skirt revealed just the hint of a silk stocking top. She has amazing legs he thought as he took her in.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, disingenuously for she knew full well what he was doing. "Just looking. You are amazingly beautiful but then you know that. You also smell great. JR's a fool if he lets you go." "It's over between him and me, Cliff. The issue now is how I extricate myself and my baby from him and his family. I need advice as to my rights." She fiddled with the second button of her blouse. She had undone the top button as soon as she had left the meeting. Cliff made his recommendation to her. Sue-Ellen was pleasantly surprised to hear that he rated the lawyer that she had already, unbeknown to him, consulted. He was at least being genuine in his attempt to help her on that score, she mused.

As ever Cliff was impatient and couldn't help but introduce the subject of JR's business into the conversation. "It isn't just a trust issue between you both, is it? The last time we talked you said that his work commitments were getting in the way of your relationship as well?" Sue-Ellen spied her opportunity. "Yes, that's a lot of it. He never has any time for me or his daughter these days. That damned refinery has a lot to answer for." "What is he doing?" "I'm not sure I should be telling you or anyone for that matter" she responded as she sipped her coffee. She needed to appear reluctant as JR had advised. Cliff patted her knee. She froze momentarily. "Look, you can trust me. What am I gonna do eh? I'm just a District Attorney, that's all. I hope you see me as a friend though."

"I do. Why else would I have called you, been here with you now?" She twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers and didn't flinch when Cliff touched her face gently with his out-stretched palm. She had to appear confident, she told herself, even though she was quaking inside.

"Ewing Oil has acquired a huge plot of land on which to build its first refinery. They are now going through the planning phase. The issue of gaining the necessary consents is driving my husband crazy. It's also making him very bad tempered. He reckons that the future of Ewing Oil depends on this refinery. Otherwise the company can't keep up with the advances that the other independent companies are making." "So, the stakes are high then?" "They must be otherwise he wouldn't have told me. JR usually gives nothing away about what happens at work." Cliff must be close to cutting to the chase, Sue-Ellen thought as she manipulatively drew ever so slightly closer to him. "Who is dealing with the consents? Do you know?" Cliff asked. There you go, she thought. I have you just where I want you. "Hmm, now what was the name? It was mentioned over dinner the other night. I know- McKenzie. I wasn't really listening but I got the impression that they have something on him if they need to use a little, should we say, persuasion?" Cliff was beside himself. Whatever it was that the Ewings knew about this man McKenzie he needed to know as well. "As ever that family are rotten through and through. You need to be careful, Sue-Ellen." "I know and I will be. Thank you, Cliff. Perhaps when I am finally out of this nightmare of a marriage I could see you again?" Sue-Ellen had impetuously deviated from the script. Cliff didn't answer. Instead he leaned quickly over and kissed her gently on the lips before she had a chance to avoid him. "I'll be waiting. As I told you the second time we met I am captivated by you, Sue-Ellen. Now, I'll get a cab back to the office and you get home. I don't want you to be in any trouble."

As she drove away Cliff silently congratulated himself. He had JR Ewing's wife on the hook and had just learnt what could be a very valuable piece of information, information that had the capacity to bring the mighty Ewings down. As he stood waiting to hail a cab, JR answered a call on his private line. "JR? It's Harry. I have the recording of your wife's conversation." "How did she do?" "I'll let you be the judge of that. However, it seems to me that she went the extra mile to ensure that Barnes was taken in." Harry assumed that JR would not react badly to the kiss that was so obvious and audible on the recording. "It sounds as if she even let him kiss her!" "Oh does it now? How quickly can you get that tape over to me, Harry? I want it now!" JR replied. If Sue-Ellen had kissed him, that wasn't part of the plan. She had better have a good explanation for this, he fumed.

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	63. Chapter 64

JR repeatedly rewound the tape to just before the sound of the kiss and then hit the "Play" button. He tried to visualise what it had looked like. Had he initiated it? Was it mutual? Had he touched her body as they kissed? Why had she suggested one day seeing him again? He was in torment. He was also angry but didn't for one minute consider that he had brought this all about. His instinct was to leave the office there and then, drive home and confront her. Suddenly the phone rang. It was Sue-Ellen reporting in as he had instructed her. Trying to sound casual JR congratulated her as she told him that all had gone well. She was surprised that he hadn't asked her if Cliff had tried it on. Telling him that she loved him and would see him later she hung up.

JR decided to bide his time. He needed to think. On the one hand she had played Cliff brilliantly. On the other she had had physical contact with him which wasn't necessary. Was it him or did she seem excessively interested in the identity of the divorce lawyer that Barnes had recommended? Things had been going well for them lately, hadn't they? They'd spoken of a second child, their sexual relationship was as good as ever and they rarely disagreed. Could it all have been an illusion to give her time to decide on an exit from their marriage? JR's thoughts flitted back and forth. There was no clear answer as he could see it.

Back at Southfork Sue-Ellen was cuddling Ella in the nursery. She had missed her little girl. When she had her baby with her things were good and normal. What had occurred that morning, however, had been unnatural and dysfunctional. When JR returned home she vowed to tell him that she was never doing anything like that for him again. She was unsure whether to inform him of the kiss. Sue-Ellen usually subscribed to honesty as being the best way to manage her husband's jealous moods. However, there was something about this episode that she felt would unsettle him, arouse his anger towards her even.

Sue-Ellen looked up from her baby's sweet little face to see Bobby standing in the doorway. "Bobby! You're back early. Is everything alright?" she asked. Bobby came into the room. He shut the door behind him and stretched out his arms to her. "Come on, give me a little turn with her? She's adorable and I never seem to get a look in when mama, Lucy or JR are around." Sue-Ellen smiled and passed Ella gently over to him. "You look sad, Bobby. Are you OK?"

"I am OK, thanks. In many ways better than that. It's all just so complicated." Sue-Ellen raised her eyebrow. She was intrigued. She hadn't seen much of him lately, none of the family had. His parents had speculated that there was a new woman on the scene but usually Bobby was pretty open about what was going on in his life. "Bobby, after all we have meant to each other, in times of family adversity I mean" Sue-Ellen was keen to gloss over the kiss that they had shared when he had declared his love for her, "if there's anything you'd like to talk about then you can trust me."

Bobby decided that it was time to offload and to whom better than his sister-in-law, a Ewing only by marriage who'd have no emotional investment in what he was about to say? "I have met someone and I am head over heels in love with her. She feels the same about me. I want to ask her to marry me." "That's great news! You can't have known her that long though?" Sue-Ellen was inherently cautious when it came to making major life decisions. "No, I haven't but I'm telling you, Sue-Ellen, she is the real deal. I thought I'd been in love with Jenna. I realise now that I wasn't. As for you, you were the unattainable dream. I was just jealous of JR. That's not to say that I don't love you. I love you and care for you just in the right way though." Sue-Ellen smiled and patted his shoulder. Bobby shifted position with Ella so that the baby who was getting a little restless could see her mama. "So, why all the secrecy then? I think your parents would be happy for you. They never tried to prevent JR from seeing me and I had nothing other than a Miss Texas title and a whole bunch of student debt."

"They never tried to interfere with you and JR because you had the name Shepherd, not Barnes. It's Pamela Barnes that I'm seeing. My daddy will have a fit when he finds out, as will JR, but they're not gonna break us up. I'm going to marry that girl whether they like it or not." Sue-Ellen raised her hands to her face in horror as the realisation of what she had got into hit her. JR was plotting the downfall of the young woman's brother as they spoke and she had helped him. Bobby misinterpreted her action. "Oh no, don't tell me that even you can't be happy for us?" Sue-Ellen lifted her baby from his arms and placed her in the crib. "It's not that Bobby, believe me. I want you and Pamela to be happy. It's just that JR hates Cliff so much and he has something planned. To take him down. I don't know the detail but he had me do something today that was in connection with it." "You've been in touch with Cliff?" It was Bobby's turn to be shocked. "Yes, leave it with me. I may be able to persuade JR to call it off." Sue-Ellen lied. She knew that there was little chance of her husband turning. "Bobby, for now it's really important that you ignore what I have just told you and you tell nobody else about Pamela. Promise me?" Sue-Ellen was being uncharacteristically mysterious but Bobby's instinct was to trust her. "Yes, alright then. You know, I feel a little better for just having told you. Hey we had better get ready for dinner."

As Bobby exited the nursery Sue-Ellen bent over to kiss her daughter. A knot of fear was tightening in her stomach and she began shaking. This was all her fault for having her head momentarily turned by the attentions of Cliff. There was disaster coming and she didn't know how to stop it.

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 **Author's note: thank you for all the lovely reviews and happy Easter :)**


	64. Chapter 65

As his mother often reminded him JR Ewing was not big on introspection. However, as he drove home he tried to rationalise why his young wife caused him to feel the way he did right now- jealous, suspicious, paranoid and deeply unhappy. It probably went back to their courtship. JR was only too aware that Sue-Ellen Shepherd had other wealthy potential suitors but it was him that she had chosen and he never really could understand why. His lack of understanding had been compounded by the family when he first took her home to meet them. Bobby had jokingly referred to him "punching above his weight" in getting the lovely young woman to go out with him. Even Miss Ellie, usually the most tactful and diplomatic member of the clan, had commented on Sue-Ellen's beauty and grace in a way that made JR feel that she didn't think he was worthy of her.

Sue-Ellen had been nothing other than a good wife to him, however. She had undergone a difficult pregnancy in order to give him a child, he thought, and when they were alone she gave her body to him willingly and lovingly. When they talked he could tell that she cared for him and about him. There was nothing going on between her and Cliff beyond an ill-advised yet harmless flirtation that she now thought better of he decided as he drew into the driveway.

JR hadn't been the only one in deep contemplation. Sue-Ellen was getting ready for dinner but her thoughts were consumed by what had happened that day and how she might go about fixing things. She decided on a charm offensive in respect of her husband. Putting on his favourite red shift dress and tying her hair up in a loose bun she knew that she looked beautiful. The dress was demure up top but showed off her long legs to perfection, ladylike yet subtly sexy. She hadn't worn the garment for a while and she hoped that it would meet with her husband's approval to see her in it again.

There would be no time to talk before dinner. It was almost 6pm as she exited the bedroom. As she walked downstairs JR entered the house. "Good evening, JR" He looked up. She was stunning and he felt pleased that she had made that extra effort for him. He held out his hand and they walked into the living room together, arms linked. The rest of the family were already present. As usual these days the men talked about the refinery whilst Sue-Ellen, Miss Ellie and Lucy chatted about the DOA meeting and Lucy's careers day at school. "Other than that bit of modelling, did you ever want to have a career, Sue-Ellen?" the young girl asked. "Lucy!" her grandmother scolded. "It's alright, Miss Ellie, yes at one point I wanted to do something with the languages that I majored in, translating for the diplomatic service or such like, but I met your uncle and he swept me off my feet!" JR looked over and smiled. There was no way that his wife would be going out to work, no matter how well qualified she was, he thought.

As usual, once they were done with their pre-prandial drinks, Jock got up and took the lead into the dining room. Dinner was being served. As they followed into the hallway Sue-Ellen gently pulled her husband back. Out of the eye-line of the rest of the family she kissed him deeply. As they broke off she whispered seductively "after dinner make an excuse for us to have an early night. I need to talk to you. I also need you in other ways." "Yes I need to talk to you properly as well. About what happened today." JR had determined that if Sue-Ellen told him the whole truth about her encounter with Cliff he would regard the matter as closed. If she didn't, even though he now realised that there was nothing to it, he would need to teach her a lesson about being honest with him.

As they took their seats at the table Sue-Ellen glanced at Bobby. He looked worried. He had not had much time to process what she had told him about Cliff but his instincts told him that his sister-in-law had little chance of calling JR off. "Where have you been lately, Bobby?" Lucy had asked the question that her grandparents and uncle were dying to ask but didn't dare. "I reckon you have a new girlfriend! she exclaimed. "Lucy! What is the matter with you? Your mouth just can't seem to stop running away with itself today!" Jock warned. "It's okay daddy. I've been seeing a lot of pretty ladies these days, Lucy. There isn't anyone special. I'm just enjoying myself like daddy advised me to" he lied.

When dinner was over JR excused himself and his wife from after dinner drinks explaining that they were both very tired after a busy day. Jock watched them go upstairs. If JR had any sense he would be using his very best efforts to get that girl pregnant again, he thought as he poured himself a scotch. Once in their bedroom Sue-Ellen made her next move. "Unzip this dress for me please, JR. I know we need to talk but I just want to get comfortable first." JR growled quietly as he took her zip down and let the dress fall to the floor. She was indeed making a special effort for him as she was wearing his favourite cream silk teddy underneath. He was tempted to have her first and talk later. However, she moved away to hang up the dress and when she returned she was wearing a long robe that matched her underwear. She was teasing him and he knew it.

"Sue-Ellen I want to discuss what happened with Barnes today. Honey, I need you to talk me through it second by second." "I will, JR. However, after I have done that I want to talk to you, about the future." JR nodded. He hadn't got a clue what she meant but he was prepared to listen. Having decided earlier to omit the physical contact she had with Cliff from her account of their meeting she suddenly had an instinctive change of heart. Honesty is best, she thought.

Taking him through everything in detail, the touch of her hand, the pat of her knee, the derisive comments about her position in the family, she ended by informing him of the kiss. By this time JR was at boiling point once again. "How dare he? How dare he just lean over and kiss you like that?" he asked rhetorically. "Because he hates you. He hates you as a Ewing and also because of me" she answered. "Well he's never going to have me. I'm proposing another meeting with him in which I get to tell him that he has been set up and how much I despise him. JR, once that's done it's over. You can pay Julie off and have done with the pair of them." She didn't think that what she had suggested would work but she at least had to try. "Oh no, Sue-Ellen, that man is trying to destroy what you and I have. I want to make sure that he is totally ruined" he replied. "Then you have to count me out. I would meet him again only to tell him that I have absolutely no interest in him. Otherwise, I'm not getting involved any further. This is all going to go wrong, JR. I can feel it." Sue-Ellen was mindful of Bobby and Pam but there was no way that she could tell her husband about them.

"There's no going back now, sugar. However, given what happened today I agree that you must not meet up with that termite again. We will have to think of how you handle any further advances from him so that he doesn't suspect anything though." JR stroked Sue-Ellen's cheek gently. "I have been stupid. Anything could have happened to you today. I can manage now without your help, although I owe you my deepest gratitude for your love and loyalty. Say, let's go away, just for a night, this weekend? I'll make it really romantic for you" At that he kissed her and pushed her back on the bed. As she allowed him to make love to her Sue-Ellen was tormented. There would have to be another way of stopping what JR had planned for Cliff. Otherwise Bobby's relationship with Pam would be doomed and the family torn in two.

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	65. Chapter 66

JR had satisfied himself of his wife's loyalty albeit that he regretted involving her with Cliff Barnes in the first place. In the days that followed the meeting between her and Barnes he noticed that his wife had become quieter and paler. Her appetite was also suffering. He wasn't the only one in the family to apprehend that she tended to push her food around her plate rather than eat it. Miss Ellie had worriedly commented about it to her son. "She's fine mama, she still seems to have energy and her care of Ella isn't suffering. I will keep an eye on her" JR assured his mother. However, deep down JR knew that something was getting to Sue-Ellen and the obvious answer lay in her expressed anxieties about carrying on with the plan for revenge against Cliff.

Nevertheless there was no going back now and the next matter that he needed to attend to was Miss Grey. He had deliberately put Julie's involvement on ice whilst Sue-Ellen did what she had to do. Now that he was in the process of withdrawing his wife from the plan he needed Cliff to remain convinced that he had a genuine ally in Julie. A lengthy phone call later and Julie was primed. When Cliff next contacted her she knew exactly what she had to say.

Meanwhile Cliff began researching the issue of the consents that Ewing Oil needed before the building of the refinery could go ahead. With his legal training it didn't take him long to figure out that the necessary approval was vital to the success of his enemies' venture. Without it they were simply stuck with a useless plot of land. He then turned to the procedural issues. The appeals process from a first instance decision to refuse consent was long and torturous. It could take months, if not years, to overturn the decision with no guarantee of success at the end of it. It would cost them dearly and drive them all mad in the process, especially JR, he schemed.

He reminded himself of what Sue-Ellen had said about the appointed planning official. The Ewings had something on Mr. McKenzie that no doubt JR could use to his advantage if it became necessary. Blackmail is as of nothing to that snake, he thought. He needed to know what they had. After several frustrating preliminary phone calls he was frustrated to be none the wiser. Bob McKenzie was 37 years old. Son of a former Republican Senator, Ivy League educated and the classic candidate to follow in his father's footsteps, eventually. In the meantime he had gone into public service as was often the case for men with his ambition. He was staunchly right wing in his political views and regarded the future of Texan independent oil companies as a potentially important part of a future political campaign but he was also fair and transparent in his approach to his duties. He had been happily married for the last six years to a pretty schoolteacher who had given him two lovely young daughters. His wife was solidly in support of her husband's ambitions and wasn't afraid to express her views albeit with due deference to her husband. She was the perfect candidate to be a Senator's wife, he was told. The final blow came when Cliff was informed by another source that McKenzie was a devout church-goer.

He flung his pen down on his desk in irritation. There has to be something more about this "Mr. Perfect" to have made Sue-Ellen say what she had. Trust JR with his corrupt ways to have been able to dig deeper than he had been able to, he fumed. Suddenly he had an idea. What he was about to do was almost certainly unlawful and, if he was found out, career-ending. Cliff didn't care right at that moment. Picking up his identity badge he made his way down to the archives. Telling the archivist on duty a downright lie about why he was there he approached the shelves labelled "Did not proceed". It took him a good hour thereafter to identify what he needed, a file with the name Robert McKenzie. After several minutes perusing the file he looked up and smiled broadly. "Bingo! Got it!"

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	66. Chapter 67

Cliff was in ecstasy as he read the report of the investigating police officer:

 _"Robert McKenzie is the suspect in this matter. The complainant (formerly) is Jane Alexander. The suspect is a 21 year old student at Yale University but was on vacation back home with his parents when the alleged incident occurred. The complainant is an 18 year old in her first year at SMU. Both are of good character. The alleged incident took place on 26th December 1956. The complainant met the suspect in the Old Texas Bar. She alleged that he bought her several alcoholic drinks. She was of course under age at the time. They danced and kissed. They were both under the influence. The complainant alleges that when she and the suspect left the bar he took her into an alley where they continued to kiss and fondle each other. However, the complainant then alleged that the suspect went on to rape her. She was medically examined but nothing of any forensic utility was found as the complainant admitted that she had already been sexually active with a regular boyfriend._

 _The suspect was arrested and interviewed. He claimed at first that he didn't know the complainant but then "remembered" that he had met her. He strongly maintained that he had had consensual, casual sexual intercourse with her, both of them under the influence of alcohol but perfectly capable of agreeing to what had happened. Two days after the interview the complainant, accompanied by her mother, came into the station where she retracted her complaint. She stated that she had been ashamed of her behaviour that night and wanted to absolve herself of any moral blame if her boyfriend and/or family found out. She apologised for wasting police time and signed a statement to the effect that she no longer wished to pursue the matter. I am suspicious of the veracity of this. The suspect's father is the Senator for this State and is therefore powerful and influential and I wonder if he had something to do with the young woman withdrawing? However, I have absolutely no evidence to that effect and can only therefore recommend that no further action is taken against McKenzie."_

Cliff turned to the final page of the file on which the then District Attorney had signified that the matter was not to proceed. Just great, I bet his wife knows nothing about this. He certainly has re-invented himself over the last 16 years. There is no way that the Republican Party are aware of this either. The episode has obviously been erased from the man's history. What better could there be? Sex and corruption are certainly the most powerful of bargaining tools, he thought as he slinked back to his office.

Impetuously he dialled his phone. "Julie, it's Cliff. It's time that we made our move. Now, how confident are you that you can get JR to meet up with you?" Julie knew exactly how to respond. "Oh I'm very sure that I can. I have known that man for years and I can push his buttons when I want to." "Good, however I'm stuck as to where the venue might be. What do you know of Sue-Ellen's usual routine?" God, Julie thought, JR can read him like a book. "A little. She's big in the DOA, ladies who lunch, you know the sort of thing I'm talking about? Other than that it's shopping or the salon but I wouldn't be able to get JR to either of those places without him suspecting." "The DOA. It didn't occur to me. That's a decent start. Wouldn't JR be aware of her meetings though?." "No, highly unlikely. He has never had the slightest interest in his wife's charitable activities" she responded. Cliff hung up. He made a few calls and established when the next public DOA event would be. Its venue couldn't have been more convenient.

Later that afternoon JR arrived back at Southfork. He needed to speak to Sue-Ellen following the conversation that he had just had with Julie. "She's up in your room, Mr. JR" Teresa told him "she was tired and went for a nap. The nanny is with baby Ella." "Thank you" JR replied. JR quietly entered their bedroom. Sue-Ellen was lay on the bed fast asleep. She looked pale and somewhat drawn but still ever so pretty he thought as he sat down next to her. He stroked her hair out of her eyes and lightly kissed her which caused her to wake. "Sue-Ellen, honey, we need to talk." Sue-Ellen murmured drowsily. "I'm exhausted, JR. If it's about Cliff can't it wait til later? Please?" "No darlin, it can't. Where and when is your next DOA ladies' lunch?" She sat up. She was weary of all this scheming but didn't want a fight. "It's at the Quorum Hotel this time next week. Why do you ask?" "Because that is where Barnes thinks he is going to set you, me and Julie up. Only you won't be there to see it. I need that vermin to think that his plan in that regard has accidentally gone wrong. It will spur him on to much more dangerous behaviour with regards to the refinery." Sue-Ellen shook her head. "I have already told you, JR, no good will come of this. Please can you stop?"

JR shook his head and then took her face in his hands and kissed her. "It's too late for that, honey. I'm not going to do anything. Cliff is heading for disaster and if and when it happens he has nobody but himself to blame."

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	67. Chapter 68

Julie was expecting Cliff to call. She also knew exactly what he was going to say, thanks to JR. Agreeing to be seen with her former boss at the Quorum Hotel just as his wife and mother were due to arrive at their monthly DOA ladies' lunch she hung up. Whatever her feelings about JR and Sue-Ellen it was a rotten thing to do to try to break them up especially now that they had a baby together, she mused. A further call later, this time to JR, and the arrangements were set.

JR arrived home to find his wife and baby together. Ella was in her bouncy seat and her mother was entertaining her with a succession of brightly coloured toys. Ella's smiles these days came with increasing frequency. She was irresistible when she smiled, a fact that made her mama feel happy and temporarily less burdened. "What a delightful scene" JR exclaimed as he entered the nursery. As he made eye contact with his daughter it was his turn to be met with a smile. Smiling widely right back at her he turned to his wife and handed her a beautifully packaged orange box. "This is for you, sugar. A little treat to thank you for all your support. I hope you like it." Sue-Ellen took the box and undid the ribbon surrounding it. Inside was an exquisite silk Hermes scarf. "Thank you JR. It's lovely" she replied. He kissed her lips lightly. "Good, glad you like it. You can wear it when we go away for the night on Saturday. You haven't forgotten have you?" "No I haven't." Sue-Ellen looked back at her baby. "I'm just not sure about leaving Ella. Plus I'm not feeling too hot at the moment. I was thinking about seeing Dr. Danvers. Your mama thinks I am run down, possibly anaemic." "Alright, I'll leave the arrangements in place though and we can see how you feel on the day. Ella will be just fine with her grandma and grandpa, you know."

As they walked to their room JR changed the subject. "Your DOA lunch next week, honey. I need you to say something to my mama about it. For the reasons that we discussed I need you not to be there, at least at the beginning. Is there an excuse that you could offer for a late arrival?" Sue-Ellen sighed. "I suppose I can come up with something if I think about it. I take it it's on? I mean, you, Julie and Cliff?" "Oh yes my love. It's very much on and it needs to go precisely to plan.". He circled his arms around his wife's waist and hugged her closely to him. "Why then does it need to go further? Why can't you just let Cliff feel that his cruel little scheme has been thwarted and leave it at that?" she asked anxiously. "Because I can't, Sue-Ellen. You don't understand. It's not a criticism of you. It's just a fact."

When Saturday came Sue-Ellen felt a little brighter. As she didn't want to disappoint her husband she agreed to go away with him overnight. "Ella will be just fine here with us" Jock reassured her as she kissed her baby goodbye. Sue-Ellen knew that her parents-in-law would take perfect care of Ella but she was worried about her missing her mama and daddy, her primary caregivers with whom she had by far the strongest bond. "Thank you Jock, Miss Ellie. I know. I'll see you all tomorrow" she responded. She didn't want them to feel that she was being ungrateful.

In fact the night away at an exclusive country house hotel did her the world of good. Dinner was wonderful and JR was most attentive to her. When they retired to bed and made love he treated her gently and tenderly. They breakfasted in their room the following morning and JR was pleased to see that Sue-Ellen ate it well. After a walk around the grounds they set off for home. "Thank you, JR. I had my doubts about this short trip but it has been wonderful" she complimented him as he held the car door open for her. "For you, honey, anything" he replied. He was pleased that she had enjoyed herself.

There were mixed emotions on the day of the DOA ladies' lunch. JR and Cliff were excited. Sue-Ellen and Julie were full of trepidation. As planned Sue-Ellen raised the issue of her attendance at the function over breakfast. "Miss Ellie, please can you apologise for me?" "Are you not coming, Sue-Ellen?" Miss Ellie was surprised. Her daughter-in-law usually enjoyed the opportunity to socialise with the other wives of the wealthy and powerful men of Dallas. "I am but I'm going to be a little late. I've a personal appointment beforehand. I should be with you in time for the main course." Miss Ellie nodded. She was glad that Sue-Ellen wasn't going to miss the whole of the event. Sue-Ellen glanced at JR. He nodded his approval in response.

At 12.30pm Cliff took his place in the hotel foyer. He deliberately sat behind a pillar so that he could see the function room to be used by the ladies of the DOA without being spotted himself. There was no way that he was going to miss the tableau that he thought he had set up. At 12.45pm, in accordance with the plan, Julie came in. She made brief eye contact with Cliff and then sat down on a sofa directly outside the entrance to the function room. Five minutes later JR joined her. He pretended to look angry as he joined Julie on the sofa. Cliff wondered on what pretext she had got him there? It appeared that whatever had been said by her had irked JR. As the two of them faked a terse conversation Cliff's eyes remained on the hotel entrance. Several minutes later a steady stream of well-dressed ladies began arriving. Cliff couldn't wait to see Sue-Ellen. Suddenly he spied Miss Ellie. Here she is, he thought, smiling wickedly.

However, totally unexpectedly, he realised that Miss Ellie was on her own. Where the hell is she? he fumed. As they spotted Miss Ellie JR and Julie got up quickly and went their separate ways. Damn, thought Cliff, his mother hasn't even seen him with his former mistress. He's as slippery as a snake. If Miss Ellie had seen them it would have been some small compensation, but she hadn't. As he watched JR hastily exit the hotel Cliff decided on a direct approach. He walked up to Miss Ellie casually and feigned surprise at seeing her at the venue. "Miss Ellie, good afternoon. How are you?" "Just fine, thank you Cliff." Miss Ellie was polite but wary. She hadn't forgotten the Oil Barons' Ball. "What are you doing here?" "It's the DOA lunch." "How nice. Where is Sue-Ellen today?" Instinct told the woman to be careful. "She has something else on today. I must go, they are all sitting down in there." "Goodbye Miss Ellie."

Cliff was beyond frustrated. As the door to the function room closed he was approached by Julie. "Cliff, what went wrong? Why wasn't Sue-Ellen here?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I have to go, things to do" he responded curtly. "What about me? I carried out my part of the bargain." "I'll be in touch, soon." Julie watched Cliff drive away. She realised that he had no intention of contacting her again. The rat was welching on their deal before her very eyes. She felt relieved that she had backed the right man in this fight. Ten minutes later she was standing in the car park in possession of an envelope containing $30,000. She was booked on a flight to Miami that evening. For the next few weeks she would lie low at her sister's. If she was questioned she would deny that she had ever met Cliff Barnes. This episode in her life was finally over and she now had a future to look to.

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	68. Chapter 69

Once he was done with Julie JR-re-entered the hotel and approached the reception desk. After a few minutes' negotiation he moved to the concierge desk, picked up a pen and piece of hotel headed note-paper, wrote on it and then folded it four ways. He handed it to the concierge. "Please can you hand this to Mrs. Sue-Ellen Ewing as soon as she arrives for the DOA lunch?" he asked, thrusting a generous tip into the man's hand at the same time. "Yes of course, sir. How will I know who Mrs. Ewing is?" "There's a table plan right over there so you can work out where she is sitting. Might be quicker just to look for the prettiest young woman in the room, though" JR replied.

Twenty minutes later Sue-Ellen strode into the foyer. The concierge realised straight away who she was. She is stunning he thought as he made his approach to her there and then, wanting to spare her the potential embarrassment of having the note delivered to her at the table. "Mrs. Ewing?" Sue-Ellen looked at the man. "Yes, I'm Mrs. Ewing" she responded. "Your husband asked me to give you this." She took the note from him and then went into her purse for a tip. "That's not necessary madam, your husband has already taken care of that, but thank you anyway."

She unfolded the piece of paper. The writing on it was indeed her husband's. "Penthouse Suite- Ninth floor. After lunch." She couldn't help but be intrigued however, in accordance with the written instructions, she entered the function room and took her seat next to Miss Ellie. The main course was just about to be served. "Is everything alright, Sue-Ellen?" her mother-in-law enquired as she took her place, nodding and smiling at the other ladies at the table. "Just fine thank you, Miss Ellie. What are we having?" Miss Ellie smiled. It appears that she is getting her appetite back, she thought hopefully.

After lunch Sue-Ellen informed her mother-in-law that she would be meeting JR. She didn't say where though. They parted company and Sue-Ellen took the lift to the ninth floor as directed. She paused to look at herself in a large mirror on the wall before proceeding to the Penthouse. She briefly fixed her hair and re-applied her lipstick before knocking on the door. JR answered it. "What's this all about?" she asked looking quizzically at her husband. "Come in, honey, we're celebrating. God you look amazing!" He took her hand and guided her to a large sofa. A bottle of champagne, on ice, and two glasses had been placed on the table in front of them. "Celebrating what?" she asked. "The success of the first phase of the plan. Cliff was well and truly thwarted earlier. He was furious. It was hilarious. The look on his face when he realised that you weren't coming. Totally priceless! Oh and Julie Grey is gone, out of our lives forever, Sue-Ellen." "You paid her then?" "Yes, it was a lot but it was worth every penny to see that idiot Barnes looking utterly dejected. Now, I predict he is going to do something very foolish indeed and then it will be all over, ruined" JR laughed wickedly.

He poured the champagne, handed her a flute and leaned in for a kiss. Sue-Ellen drew away quickly. "Before we do what we both know we are going to do this afternoon I need to know, JR, what is he going to do?" "He is going to attempt to blackmail a planning official in order to ensure the rejection of the Ewing Oil plan to build the refinery. However, I am going to get there first and warn the official that this is going to happen. Then I take him down, darling, and I mean, literally, down." Sue-Ellen shook her head. "If you do this I am telling you it could be the end of your family as you know it." JR raised his eyebrow. He was now curious as to what his wife knew. "I'm not saying any more but trust me, JR. This won't have a happy ending."

"Come on, sugar. You know that I always end up on top" he cajoled. "That might well be true but it's forever at a cost to others, sometimes even members of your own family, me included." She knew she had said too much and decided to leave it there. She couldn't risk him finding out about Bobby and Pam. "I'd never hurt you. You know that don't you?" he replied, taking her hand and leading her through to the bedroom. She was just being over-sensitive, he mused. What bad could possibly come of all of this for her and the family? Dismissing her views with his usual arrogance JR prepared to enjoy the afternoon.

Across town, as JR was doing to Sue-Ellen what he had longed to do himself, Cliff sat in his office. He was supposed to be preparing a written advice on the evidence required for a proposed prosecution but his mind was on something very different. If he couldn't cause the end of JR's marriage then he would have to hurt him in another way. His thoughts turned to what he had read in the archived file about Bob McKenzie. Did he dare do what he had in mind? It's a criminal offence, he pondered nervously. However, it was an offence that he imagined JR had got away with many times in the past. He needed to think. He began researching the procedural timescales that would apply to the Ewings' application for planning consent and contented himself that he had the time to think things through before making a move. It wasn't yet too late to give his enemy some real grief.

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	69. Chapter 70

Bob McKenzie was studying the application on behalf of Ewing Oil. It had been put together extremely well, he mused. He would have to make some further checks before deciding whether to approve it or not, however all of his feelings thus far tended to the view that he should do so. A knock at the door interrupted his deliberations. It was his personal assistant, an attractive young woman in her twenties. Bob had adopted the look but don't touch approach to her. There was no way that a sex scandal was going to put the mockers on his political ambitions. "Bob, Mr. JR Ewing is here and he wants to speak to you. I've told him that would be inappropriate but he is very insistent" the young woman announced. "Well you are quite right there, Annabel, just tell him that he has to leave. Otherwise he places his application in jeopardy" he replied with a degree of irritation. As Annabel turned to leave the office JR suddenly barged straight past her.

Doffing his Stetson politely he introduced himself. "Mr. McKenzie, how do you do?" McKenzie stood up. "Mr. Ewing, I thought you would have had more sense than to be here right now. Frankly, anything you are about to say to me only harms your position. Annabel please come back into the office." He needed a witness. As the young woman came back in, arms folded, JR spoke again. He exuded an unnerving confidence as he did so. "I don't think that you would want this young lady to hear what I have to say. It has nothing to do with our application. It's a personal matter." McKenzie glanced at his assistant and nodded his head for her to leave. As she exited the office quietly closing the door behind her JR admired the young woman. "Lovely ass, pretty to boot. I bet you enjoy working with her" he commented. "I'm a happily married man, Mr. Ewing" the man replied tersely. "Ah well, so am I but it does no harm to enjoy looking at attractive women does it? You know, as long as you don't cross the line and make it into something else." JR smiled evilly.

God, McKenzie thought. The penny had dropped. JR Ewing knew all about the rape allegation. All these years he was sure his father had buried the incident but now it was back to haunt him. "Why, why then are you here?" he stammered. "To do you a massive favour, Mr. McKenzie. Now Ewing Oil has made an application for planning consent to build its first refinery as you know. It's an application made in completely good faith and we only expect a bona fide decision one way or the other in return. However, something is going to happen to you in the near future that might affect the way that you consider the application If it does it will adversely affect your reputation, your marriage and your ambitions. However, I am here to help you avoid all of that."

"Alright" Bob took his seat again and gestured for JR to sit down. He didn't care for the oblique approach that was being taken but for now he would go along with it. "It all stems back many years. A man called Digger Barnes wrongly accused my daddy of stealing our company from him. It prompted a feud that carries on to this day via Digger's son, Cliff Barnes" JR explained. "Yes I am aware of it. My father used to speak of the Barnes- Ewing feud. I also noted that there was a bit of a skirmish between you and the man at the last Oil Barons' Ball" McKenzie replied. JR nodded. "Cliff Barnes is hell bent on revenge for what he believes happened to his father. He has discovered something in your past through his position as DA for Dallas and he intends to blackmail you with it to refuse our application."

McKenzie looked shocked. He had been expecting JR to deliver the blackmail, not someone else. "How did he find out and, more pertinently, how do you know that he intends to do this?" "Through his position as DA. Unlawful background checks on you. I have my sources, surely you must appreciate that?" McKenzie nodded. All the colour had drained from his face. He was on the precipice of disaster, personally, professionally and politically and he didn't know what to do. "Mr. Ewing, you must understand that I'm not proud of what happened all those years ago. Picking up a girl in a bar and having sex with her was not in keeping with my Christian upbringing and beliefs. However, I categorically denied and still deny raping her. Do you understand?" he asserted.

"Of course I do but Barnes is a fool who believes that your every motivation will be to keep that incident a secret, from your wife, your employers and most of all the Party." "What then can I do?" he asked. The man's mind was in turmoil, just as JR had wanted it. "This is what you do. You go home tonight and tell your wife everything." McKenzie looked doubtful. "Trust me, she may be angry with you at first but afterwards she will come to appreciate your honesty. You're no rapist. She knows that deep down you are a good man, a loyal and loving husband." "Well, yes I have been. I haven't so much as touched another woman since we got together. We have a very happy marriage and two beautiful daughters." His now indignant stance told JR that it was working. Taking the moral high ground was bound to be McKenzie's style. "Then you wait for Barnes to make his move. It will need to be taped, I can help with that. Then you report him."

"There's a pretty deep flaw in all of this though. The publicity!" McKenzie replied. "That's a strength and not a flaw. There's a big campaign going on at present to protect the identity of men who are the subject of false allegations of sexual assault. You and your wife would be the poster couple for it! Victims of attempted blackmail at the hands of the corrupt District Attorney of Dallas to impede the progress of the good independent oilmen of the State and all the people employed by them. You will be in the Senate before you know it!" JR exclaimed. "You know it makes sense- honesty is the best policy!"

"You're right. I will tell my wife this evening and then wait. Hang on, what do you want from all of this?" he asked. "Nothing other than a fair evaluation of our application, one way or the other. That's all" JR lied. He knew that if this all went to plan McKenzie would have no option other than to give the refinery the necessary approval. The two men shook hands and JR left. Annabel popped her head around the door. "Everything alright, Bob?" She could tell that whatever they had talked about had shaken him. "Yes, just fine. In the end all he wanted was an assurance that the application would be given fair consideration." He smiled weakly at the young woman. Whether he liked it or not JR Ewing had him by the balls right now.

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 **Author's note- thank you for all the lovely reviews. I am listening to your ideas which are great :)**


	70. Chapter 71

Bob McKenzie's commute home from work was filled with dread. His wife, Rachel, had never been a pushover and he had no doubt that what he had to tell her would not be welcomed. However, the more he thought about it the more he realised that JR was right. After putting their two small daughters to bed Rachel set about making their dinner. Bob took a bottle of beer from the fridge. He was going to need it. "Rachel, there's something that I need to tell you." His wife looked up and paused what she was doing. "It's going to come as something of a shock I'm afraid and you won't like it." Rachel put down the salad servers that she had been using and sat down opposite him at the table. She had absolutely no idea what her husband was going to say.

Ten minutes later and all had been explained. Bob was relieved that his wife had taken it so calmly however she was obviously very angry. He fetched her a glass of white wine. Perhaps a drink would help, he thought. She sipped from the glass and spoke. "First, I am dismayed that you never told me about this. Second, I am disappointed to say the least that you believed that I would have nothing to do with you if you had told me about this when we were first going out." Bob nodded his head sadly. "And finally, did you honestly believe that it wouldn't come back to haunt you at some stage? What if this had come out during your campaign for the Senate? You would have been ruined. The press would have had a field day!" she exclaimed. "JR Ewing is right. The only way forward now is to tackle this head-on. I'm not happy with you right now but I will be right by your side. I'm not giving up on being a senator's wife just yet."

Bob patted her hand. "You are so level-headed, Rache, we can get through this can't we?" "We have to otherwise all those years of hard work will be wasted. Now, if you hadn't thought of it already, you need to inform the Party. Your prospective campaign manager would be a decent start." Bob did as he was told and then, somewhat impetuously, rang directory enquiries for Southfork Ranch.

JR was just about to go into dinner when Raoul informed him that he had a telephone call. "Who is it?" JR asked annoyedly. He was hungry. "The gentleman won't say, sir ." JR harrumphed and took the receiver from the servant. "JR Ewing here. Who is this?" "It's me, Bob McKenzie. I just wanted to thank you for today and let you know I have informed my wife and prospective campaign manager and they are fine with it. If and when Barnes makes his move I know just what to do." Wonderful! JR thought. It just couldn't get better. "Wise man. Now you just have to play the waiting game. It will happen. I would stake Ewing Oil on it. Oh and it's far better if you contact me at the office in future. Goodbye and good luck."

JR went through and sat down next to his wife. He couldn't help but smile as he took his place. "Good news, JR?" his father enquired. "Oh yes, the best, daddy." Sue-Ellen looked worried. She had a feeling that there had just been a development in his plan to get revenge on Cliff but her husband didn't notice her disquiet. "Bobby out again this evening?" JR asked as he buttered his bread roll. "So it would seem" responded Miss Ellie. Sue-Ellen wished that her brother-in-law was present, at least for support. The secrets that she was keeping these days were mounting and she felt anxious and torn. Her loyalty should be with JR but there were other factors to consider, for example their place in the family, she thought as she pushed her food around her plate. She genuinely didn't know what to do. There was also something else on her mind but dealing with that could wait.

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	71. Chapter 72

Since the failure of his plan to bring JR, Julie and Sue-Ellen together Cliff had heard nothing further from the latter. It bothered him. The last time they had been together she had told him that her marriage was over. Furthermore she had allowed him to kiss her. He wondered what was happening to her and whether she was alright. JR was capable of pretty much anything and if he got wind of the fact that she was planning her exit from their marriage Cliff worried about what he would do to her. He realised that it was probably an unwise move to telephone Southfork but he had to do something. Picking up his office phone he dialled the number. Teresa answered. "Ewing residence, how may I help you?" "I would like to speak to Mrs. Sue-Ellen Ewing, please." "Who is this speaking please?" the maid asked politely. She had been instructed recently by JR not to put calls straight through to his wife without enquiring of the caller first. "Oh, my name is Alan Johnson. My wife and I went to college with Mrs. Ewing. It concerns a social invitation to her and her husband" he lied. Teresa was taken in. "I will just fetch her, sir. Please hold on."

Sue-Ellen froze when she heard the voice on the other end of phone. "Cliff, what do you want?" she whispered tersely. He was the last person she wanted to speak to at the moment. "I needed to know, are you okay?" "I'm just fine. Cliff, you must forget what I told you that day in my car. I won't be leaving Southfork. Things have changed, completely." Cliff was taken aback. How had JR managed to worm his way back into her affections? he wondered. "Sue-Ellen, I don't understand" he replied. He sounded upset and for a split second she was tempted to warn him about the trap that JR had laid for him. However, her loyalty to her husband superseded any pity she felt for the man. "Cliff, you can't contact me any more. Do you understand? Please take care of yourself. Goodbye." Before he could respond she had hung up.

Slamming his fist on the desk Cliff could not have hated anyone more than he hated JR at that moment. The man is Teflon coated, he fumed, I should have known that he would not let Sue-Ellen get away from him that easily. If he couldn't hurt JR through Sue-Ellen he would have to hurt him another way, he seethed. Pouring himself another cup of coffee he looked up the address of the Dallas Commercial Planning Department and then buzzed his secretary to order him a cab.

As he got into the cab Cliff was unware that he was being watched. Harry McSween pulled out of the space that he was occupying and followed carefully behind. As the cab pulled up at its destination Harry hurried to the nearest public telephone and quickly dialled a number that he had written in his notebook. "Mr. McKenzie? Barnes is on his way up to see you, right now. You know how to start the recording equipment don't you?" "Yes, thank you."

Bob McKenzie's stomach lurched as he reached under his desk and hit the "record" button. He and JR had worked out how he would deal with the conversation that was about to happen. The anticipated knock on the door came a few minutes later. Cliff was politely shown into the office by McKenzie's unsuspecting assistant. Without invitation he sat down and introduced himself. "I'm sure you want to know why I am here, Mr. McKenzie" he began. "I have no idea. How can I help you, Mr. Barnes?" his opponent lied. "I'll cut to the chase. You are handling an application on behalf of Ewing Oil for consent to build its first refinery. You are going to refuse the necessary consent." "Why on earth would I do that? I haven't made my decision one way or the other yet. There is a set procedure for considering such applications and I always follow that to the letter" McKenzie replied.

"You know, everybody has done something in their youth that they regret. It's all a question of degree and then where life takes you. The more ambition one has the greater effect a historic mistake can have." "What do you mean?" McKenzie wasn't acting when he came across as irked. Barnes was an irritating, little twerp, he thought. "Two words- Jane Alexander. Now, just pause to consider what might happen if the press got hold of what happened between you and her." "How do you know about that? I was cleared! The woman retracted her complaint and apologised. I have done nothing wrong." The sense of outrage in the man's voice was palpable. This all had to sound very good on the tape he had been advised. "It's not as simple as that though is it? The gutter press have the capability of making a story like that just run and run. They would probably try to track the woman down to get her take on it as well." Cliff grinned. McKenzie wanted to hit him. "Are you saying that unless I refuse the Ewings' consent you are going to go public with this? I have a wife and children as well as an interest in politics. It would be the ruin of me!"

Cliff sat back and smiled. "It's your choice. Co-operate with me and the episode remains buried deep in the archives at my office. I won't breathe a word." "And if I don't?" "It will start small. An anonymous letter to your wife first, then to your Party and then to the press. Oh and I'm not talking about a respectable broadsheet, although they may eventually express an interest and pick the story up as well." "You bastard! I can't believe that this is happening to me and at the hands of a fellow public official. Barnes, you are dirt personified." "Think about it and let me know." Cliff got up and quickly exited the office. He thought McKenzie was going to punch him towards the end of their conversation. As he left the building McKenzie checked the tape. Clear as a bell, the whole conversation, he mused. He was still full of trepidation about what might happen to him and his family but he knew he had no choice. He now had to inform the police.

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	72. Chapter 73

JR felt as if he was walking on air when he returned home that evening. The news was out. Cliff Barnes, District Attorney for Dallas, had been arrested on suspicion of attempted blackmail and abuse of public office. Directly after their meeting Bob McKenzie, his wife Rachel on his arm for maximum effect, walked into the central Dallas police station and made his complaint. He was armed with the recording which he claimed had been made because of an anonymous tip off as to what Barnes was planning to do.

The arrest followed almost immediately after McKenzie had signed his witness statement. Owing to the sensitivity of the situation and the inevitable media frenzy to follow it was carried out by the Chief of the Dallas Police. Cliff didn't protest when arrested and given his rights. He realised instantaneously that he had been the victim of a set up, probably at the hands of JR. However, that of itself did not amount to a defence. In his anger about Sue-Ellen's apparent reconciliation with JR, Cliff had acted impulsively and stupidly. Nobody had pushed him into it. He had been set up for sure but ultimately his actions had been all his own.

Cliff's statutory phone call had been to his sister, Pamela, whom he instructed to contact the best defence lawyer that he knew forthwith. He would need a whole lot of help when he came to be interviewed, he reckoned. Pamela, in a state of extreme distress, did as she was told. Then she rang Bobby who was about to set off on his way home from the office.

Walking into the lounge where his parents, wife and Lucy were assembled JR triumphantly announced the news about Cliff. "Barnes deserves all he gets" Jock commented "he's as dishonest and dishonourable as his father. To think that he would use his position to have our application refused. Tomorrow I'm going to call Harve and ask him what he thinks the likely sentence will be." JR chuckled. "I've already done that, daddy. Harve says that although he hasn't practised criminal law for a long time he is pretty certain that the sentence will be years, even if Barnes enters a guilty plea at the first hearing, and gets maximum credit."

Sue-Ellen remained silent. She felt ill. Miss Ellie couldn't help but notice her daughter-in-law's worried expression. "Now we shouldn't revel in somebody else's misfortune. Cliff has been very foolish but I don't really care to see the young man behind bars" she observed. Her husband and son shook their heads. They couldn't expect the women-folk to understand something like this, they thought simultaneously. Dinner was announced. "Was Bobby meant to be joining us?" Jock enquired. "Yes he said he was" his wife replied. "Well he's late. Come on, let's go in. Teresa will have to keep his meal warm for him" Jock muttered gruffly.

As the meal progressed Sue-Ellen became increasingly sickened by the celebratory tone adopted by her husband and father. It was a good thing that neither of them bothered to ask her for her opinion as she wouldn't know what to say, she mused. Bobby's absence was also worrying her. It was safe to assume that Bobby would be with a distraught Pamela. Only Miss Ellie noticed that there was something wrong with the young woman. "Sue-Ellen is everything alright with your food, dear? You've hardly touched it." "The meal is just fine, thank you. I just don't feel too good this evening, Miss Ellie" she responded.

Just as the meal was ending Bobby thundered in. He was obviously furious. "JR, why do you manage to ruin everything you touch?" he shouted. JR stood up. "Hey Bob, I've no idea what you're talking about." "Oh yes you have!" he countered, pushing JR's chest. "You engineered the arrest of Cliff Barnes today!" "How did I do that then, little brother?" JR maintained his cool. "You are a liar! Cliff has told his lawyer everything and what he had to say has been relayed straight back to me."

Jock intervened. "Well how the hell has that happened? What have you been doing with Barnes' lawyer?" he asked. "I've been with them, at the station! You might as well all know. Pamela Barnes is my fiancée! She's the one that I've been seeing all this time." There was stunned silence for several seconds. Sue-Ellen put her head down. She was about to cry. "Over my dead body is that girl your fiancée! No son of mine is ever going to marry a member of that family" roared Jock. JR began to laugh. "This is just priceless, Bobby!" Bobby grabbed JR by the lapels of his suit jacket. "No!" exclaimed Miss Ellie. She was aware of her youngest son's temper and strength. JR would be no match for him if a fight broke out, she thought.

Bobby released his grip. "I'm leaving and I'm not coming back!If only you had listened to your wife, JR, all of this could have been avoided!" he shouted. As soon as he had said it Bobby regretted it. "Sue-Ellen? What on earth has she to do with all of this?" JR was quick on the uptake. "Nothing, just forget it." He was backtracking and JR knew it. Sue-Ellen got up. She was afraid but there were things that had to be said. The truth just has to be told, she decided. "I knew about Bobby and Pamela and I tried to stop you from feeding information to Cliff, information that we both knew would lead to this, but you wouldn't listen to me!" she cried. She made to leave the dining room but JR was too quick for her. Within seconds he had her pinned against the wall. "You have betrayed me! My own wife! How dare you keep secrets from me!"

Bobby sprang to her defence. "Let go of her or I will kill you, JR." He expressed himself calmly and with menace. Miss Ellie looked pleadingly at Jock. Lucy ran to her grandmother and began to cry. "Back off, boy" Jock warned. At his command JR took several steps away from Sue-Ellen. "I'm not letting you stay here tonight, Sue-Ellen. Not with him like that" Bobby interjected. "Oh no, you may be leaving but she isn't. She's my wife and the mother of my child." JR was back on the offensive. "We all need to calm down, for everyone's sake. Sue-Ellen what do you want to do?" Miss Ellie asked. She wanted to mediate a way through this awful situation. Sue-Ellen was shaking. "I want to leave and I'm taking my baby" she replied. "Never" her husband retorted. "You can go, you deceitful slut, but our child remains here." At that Bobby lunged at his brother and punched his jaw causing him to crash to the floor. "Go up and pack some things quickly Sue-Ellen. For you and Ella. The three of us are getting out of here."

Sue-Ellen did as she was told. She had never seen JR like this before. By the time she descended the stairs, her baby in her arms, Raoul carrying two overnight bags, JR was sitting with his head in his hands. His father was standing over him to prevent any further pursuit of her. "Sue-Ellen, Bobby, please don't leave" begged Lucy. "We have to, Lucy" Sue-Ellen replied. "Don't worry I will stay in touch. Oh and one last thing before we go. I went to see the doctor today. I'm pregnant. You almost assaulted your pregnant wife, JR! I don't think I can ever forgive you for this."

Lucy fled upstairs in tears followed by Miss Ellie. Jock remained with JR. "Well, son. You have really made a mess of things this time" was all he could think of to say.

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	73. Chapter 74

As soon as they had cleared Southfork ranch Bobby turned to Sue-Ellen who was weeping silently. "We're going to Pam's, okay?" She shook her head. "No, Bobby. It's not right for me to go there. Please just take us to a hotel. Ella and I will be fine, at least for the time being" she replied, drying her eyes. "Are you sure? It doesn't feel right just ditching you both at a hotel." "Yes, I'm sure. I'm exhausted and so is Ella. We just need to go to sleep." "Do you know what you are going to do?" Her final words to JR about never forgiving him were in the forefront of Bobby's mind. "I have no idea" she responded sadly. "The one thing I do know is that my husband's behaviour tonight was completely unacceptable and I'm not sure we can come back from this. I need time to think." Bobby nodded. He had never seen his older brother behave like that to Sue-Ellen before. Of course there had been disagreements between them, rows even, but for the most part he had been nothing other than kind, generous and loving towards her.

Drawing into the grounds of a small yet select country house hotel the reality of the situation started to hit home. "Bobby, I have no money independently of JR. How am I going to pay to stay here?" she asked. "Don't worry about that. Come on, let's get you both checked in" he reassured her. Bobby did the talking at reception. "Mrs. Ewing and her daughter need a suite, somewhere spacious. Have you a cot that you can supply please?" The receptionist nodded. "Of course, sir. How long will Mrs. Ewing be staying with us for?" "Indefinitely" Bobby replied. "As for payment, please send all invoices to Southfork Ranch marked for the attention of John Ross Ewing Senior." "Of course. That is no problem whatsoever."

Ten minutes later and the three of them were installed in the best suite the hotel had to offer. "Are you sure you will be alright?" Bobby asked. "Yes, honestly. Look, Pam needs you. Is Cliff still in custody?" "He's out. I posted the bail for him. One hundred thousand dollars." "God, your daddy and JR will be apoplectic when they find out." "I don't care. They are on their own and so is Cliff. Pam and I are taking off tomorrow. I don't know where we will end up but we both need to get out of Dallas, for the sake of our relationship and sanity. I'll keep in touch, Sue-Ellen. Take good care of yourself and that lovely little girl. You were always way too good for him. Remember that." He kissed his sister-in-law and niece good bye, pausing briefly to take Sue-Ellen's hand in his, and then left.

Back at Southfork JR was about to slope off to his room. He was bereft and couldn't even begin to process the news about his wife's pregnancy. Before he could do so he had to face the rest of the family's outrage. Miss Ellie brought Lucy downstairs, ostensibly to get her a cup of cocoa, but the sight of JR sparked an emotional outburst on the part of the young girl. "I hate you, JR!" she shrieked. "Enough, Lucy" Jock warned. He too was angry with JR but he didn't want his granddaughter to believe that it was right to disrespect her elders.

"No Jock! Lucy is entitled to express her opinion!" Miss Ellie retorted. "Bobby, Sue-Ellen and Ella are gone and it's all your fault, JR. You never could rein in your desire to manipulate and scheme, could you? Frankly I am sick to death of the Barnes-Ewing feud. It has caused nothing but trouble for us over all these years. We are ruined as a family. That girl is carrying your second child and you have no idea where she and your baby are. As for Bobby, I'm not sure we will ever see him again. Are you satisfied, JR? You drove Gary away and now you've done the same with Bobby!"

"Mama, I'm truly sorry. I'll do whatever it takes to get Sue-Ellen and Ella back to this house, I promise" JR replied sadly. "I'm hoping that if she has time to cool down and realise that I am genuinely contrite she will come back." He didn't really believe in the platitudinous response that he was giving. Sue-Ellen had been shaken by his conduct and she wasn't quick to forgive. Getting her back was going to be hard work but it had to be done, he thought. He couldn't bear to think of life without her and their children.

"Either you persuade her to come back, JR, or you take a different approach" his father interjected "because there is no way that my grandchildren are being brought up anywhere other than here. If cajoling won't work then you fight her. Do you understand?"

Miss Ellie sighed and shook her head as she guided Lucy into the kitchen. Her husband was as much to blame for all of this as her eldest son, she thought. She wanted to cry but refrained from doing so for the sake of her granddaughter who continued to be intermittently tearful.

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	74. Chapter 75

By the time JR got to bed he was drunk. Bourbon didn't eradicate the pain he was feeling but it did have a numbing effect, at least to an extent. He picked up the telephone, not caring that it was late and Harry McSween and his wife would almost certainly be asleep. The short, slurred request by JR in the conversation that took place ended with Harry reassuring him that he would find Sue-Ellen within a maximum of 24 hours. Stumbling around the room JR undressed and got into bed. He looked sadly at Sue-Ellen's side, cold and empty. As he pondered the fact that he was going to be a father for a second time, a fact that was more worrying than exciting in the current circumstances, sleep claimed him.

The following morning, whilst JR slept off the alcohol from the night before, the remaining members of the family took breakfast. The atmosphere was sombre. "Lucy, dear, why don't you see if you can spend the day at Muriel's?" Miss Ellie suggested. "Yes grandma. I'd like to be away from the house when he gets up." Lucy emphasised the word "he". As she got up from the table to call her friend the telephone rang. Lucy answered it. "Sue-Ellen! Are you OK? When are you and Ella coming home?" the young girl asked. "We're fine thank you, Lucy. Please can I speak to your grandmother?" Sue-Ellen was deliberately evasive with her niece. She didn't want to make her any promises that she couldn't keep.

Hearing Lucy utter Sue-Ellen's name Miss Ellie and Jock rushed to the telephone. "Grandma, Sue-Ellen wants to speak to you." Jock went to take the receiver but Miss Ellie got there first. There was no way that her husband would be able to negotiate her return home, she thought. She shot him a warning glance. He needed to keep quiet and allow her to take the lead. Jock nodded by way of response.

"Sue-Ellen? We have been so worried about you. How are you?" Miss Ellie asked. "We are both safe and well, thank you. I rang because I realised that you would be anxious about us. What has happened isn't yours or Jock's fault and so I guess I thought you deserved to know that we are OK" Sue-Ellen replied. "Where are you, my dear?" her mother-in-law asked. "I'm sorry but I'm not prepared to say, at least not yet. I need some time and space on my own. To think." Sue-Ellen spoke firmly and decisively. "Is Bobby with you?" Miss Ellie asked. "No he isn't. He and Pamela will be long gone by now. I'm being completely honest with you when I say that he didn't tell me where they were going. I'm not sure he knew himself at the point when we parted company." Miss Ellie looked up at Jock. This was much worse than they had imagined. "Sue-Ellen, if you feel you can't come home then the obvious place for you and Ella to be is at your mother's where she can take care of you." Miss Ellie estimated that involving Patricia might be beneficial to her son. She would almost certainly advise her daughter to get straight back to Southfork. "I'm not ready to inform her of my situation yet. You know how she is" Sue-Ellen responded in a matter of fact tone.

Miss Ellie decided on a different approach. "Sue-Ellen, if I promise to tell nobody of your whereabouts can I come and see you and Ella? Please?" "Not right away. Please give me a couple of days." Sue-Ellen knew that by the end of the week the first of the hotel bills would land at Southfork and her location would then be known to the Ewings. However, she believed that several days of peace were better than nothing. The time could at least be used to obtain advice and then consider it, she mused. "Miss Ellie, I have to go now. I'll keep in touch." "Please do. Oh and take care of yourself and that little baby. Goodbye Sue-Ellen." Sue-Ellen rang off.

Miss Ellie ascended the stairs and went into JR's room. "Wake up, JR. I've just spoken to your wife on the phone. She isn't for coming home yet but she says that she and Ella are well. I thought you should know." "Where is she?" JR asked drowsily. His head was hurting but more than that he had just been hit by the memory of his behaviour the night before. "She won't say yet." "I have already taken steps to find her, mama. I will have an answer by tonight at the latest."

"JR I am warning you not to go charging round to wherever she is. You will drive her even further away." Miss Ellie raised her voice to her son. "She's my wife and she has our daughter with her. The sooner I can get to see her to apologise the sooner they will be back home." Jock, who had just joined his wife on the landing, intervened. "No, JR, you're not going to do that. The last time you were in bother with Sue-Ellen it was your mother who managed to persuade her to come home, not you. Leave it to your mama" he advised sternly. JR nodded in assent.

Three days later Sue-Ellen contacted her mother-in-law and arranged a meeting. Unbeknown to her the family were already aware of hers and Ella's location via the efforts of Harry McSween. Miss Ellie tersely advised Jock that she expected there to be no fuss over paying their daughter-in-law's ongoing hotel bill. The young woman and baby have to have a decent roof over their heads, she had asserted. JR had intended on arranging discreet surveillance of his wife but Miss Ellie, by now wise to her son's methods, warned him off that course of action on the grounds that, if discovered, it would only be all the more reason for Sue-Ellen to remain angry with him.

As Miss Ellie knocked on the door of Sue-Ellen's suite she was filled with trepidation. The family's hopes were riding on her success and the pressure weighed heavily upon her. Sue-Ellen answered the door. She was drying her eyes with a tissue as she did so. "Oh Sue-Ellen, are you alright?" As she entered the suite she noticed that the young woman looked pale and drawn. "You've just been sick haven't you?" she asked kindly patting Sue-Ellen's hand. "Yes, Miss Ellie, but don't worry. I'm getting good medical care from Dr. Scott and although I am being very sick, somehow this time it isn't as bad. It's probably because I know what to expect" Sue-Ellen replied "please sit down. I ordered some tea."

Miss Ellie glanced at the cot. Ella was fast asleep. "I have missed her, and you, you know" she began. "I know and I feel bad about that. You do realise that I would never stop her seeing her family, the same applies to this one" Sue-Ellen responded patting her tummy. This isn't a promising start, Miss Ellie thought, she is clearly contemplating a future away from us. "Sue-Ellen, Jock and I have deprecated JR's behaviour towards you. He is under no illusions about that. He is genuinely remorseful, though, and frankly without you he is simply a broken man. He's not eating or sleeping, I hear him wandering around the house in the middle of the night and he is drinking far too much. He loves you, you do know that don't you? It's not often that I beg for anything but as his mother I am begging you to give him one final chance." Sue-Ellen knew that the woman's words were heartfelt but they were only words as far as she was concerned.

After a couple of seconds' pause Sue-Ellen began to speak. "It's not that easy though is it? JR scared me. But for Bobby's and Jock's intervention I truly believed that he was going to hit me. I suppose I had deceived him about Bobby and Pamela but I'd been sworn to secrecy. Bobby trusted me and I couldn't breach that trust, however strongly I felt about JR. I wish he hadn't told me in retrospect, but he did. It caused me almost endless worry. I didn't deserve such a cruel reaction, I truly believe I didn't."

"No you didn't but he is sorry and he just wants the opportunity to prove it to you" Miss Ellie countered. Sue-Ellen was still angry and indignant and mediating a way forward wasn't going to be easy, she thought. "I'm not in the easiest of situations am I? JR knows that and if he thinks he can use it to his advantage he is wrong. Here I am, living in a hotel suite with a young baby and another on the way, which wasn't planned. We made a reckless mistake on New Year's Eve, before the party, but he doesn't have to bear the consequences of that does he?"

Miss Ellie nodded. She was on the edge of tears. "Sue-Ellen this is my fault." Sue-Ellen raised her eyebrow. How could it be her mother-in-law's fault? she mused. "It is my fault. I handed JR over to the care of his daddy when he was much too young. His childhood thereafter was dominated by people who were constantly on the take. They would take what they could, whenever they could and from whoever they could. That was what he learnt. Rather than learning to appreciate values like love, kindness and empathy JR was turned into a ruthless, jealous and vengeful adult. However, after he met you I saw him ever so slowly change, into a softer, nicer person. You did that to him, Sue-Ellen. There was a time when Jock and I despaired of him ever meeting the right woman and settling down, but as soon as he brought you home we knew. He had light in his eyes. They were nowhere nearly as cold and steely as they had been. However, he is still learning. With you he has the opportunity to develop further, into a good husband and father. With anyone else or on his own, God forbid, he doesn't stand a chance."

Sue-Ellen listened carefully to her mother-in-law. She had always known that JR had endured an unusually tough childhood and she had tried to accommodate and manage the emotional and psychological fallout from the same because of her love for him. However, this was the first time that she had appreciated that her influence over her husband had noticeably changed and was still changing him. The issue was whether she could cope with his still tempestuous and unpredictable behaviour, especially as she was now a mother which brought fresh responsibilities. "I still love him, Miss Ellie. I think I always will, but I'm not sure that I can tolerate the number and extent of the ups and downs in my life with him. It isn't what I anticipated when I married him. I need time to think."

"Yes of course you do, dear. Will you at least speak to him?" Miss Ellie asked. "I will, but not right now and not here. I can't face him yet" Sue-Ellen responded. She knew she had to be in a much stronger frame of mind before seeing him again otherwise she was at risk of making an ill-considered decision. At that Ella woke. Sue-Ellen gestured to Miss Ellie to take her out of her cot and give her a cuddle. As Miss Ellie held the baby she started to cry. If only she could turn the clock back so that none of this had happened. However, she couldn't and she wasn't sure that she was going to be able to help her son's marriage this time.

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	75. Chapter 76

Madeleine Storey rushed out of court. The hearing in a long and protracted divorce case had taken longer than she estimated and she was now running late for her next appointment. She recalled the consultation that had taken place before Christmas, just after the young woman had given birth in traumatic circumstances, and felt sorry that things obviously hadn't worked out. However, Mrs. Sue-Ellen Ewing was about to become an important and high profile client whose representation would mean hefty profit for the firm.

She dashed past reception and into her well appointed office with ten minutes to spare. A young female trainee knocked and entered. "Grace, do you want to sit in on this consultation? The client is a member of the Ewing family, JR Ewing's wife. It should be interesting." "Oh I know all about the Ewings, Madeleine. I briefly dated the youngest son, Bobby. They are a rotten family and it doesn't surprise me that Sue-Ellen is unhappy in her marriage." Madeleine looked up from her file. "Would there be any conflict of interest if you co-worked the case with me?" she enquired. "Not that I can think of. However, Mrs. Ewing may not feel comfortable with me being privy to her private business." "Well all we can do is ask" her boss replied.

Grace took her place at the corner of Madeleine's large, walnut desk and opened a notebook. If Sue-Ellen Ewing was going to permit her to be involved in the consultation it would be her job to take a full note of everything discussed. As Sue-Ellen, her baby in her arms, was shown through to the office the two lawyers rose to their feet. Sue-Ellen was a little taken aback by the presence of Grace Kay but once her role was explained she decided that it could well be of benefit to her to have someone on her side who understood exactly how the Ewing family operated.

Sue-Ellen had had time to think following Miss Ellie's visit. Sadly she had resigned herself to the fact that her marriage to JR was over. She now needed to extricate herself and move on as a single mother to her two young children. She just couldn't risk subjecting herself once more to the dysfunctional and, at times, frightening behaviour of her husband, no matter how much she loved him.

"Would you care for a cup of tea or coffee, Mrs. Ewing?" Madeleine began. Sue-Ellen politely declined. "Alright then, I remember seeing you a little while ago when there were problems in your marriage and you had just given birth. That lovely little baby has certainly come on since then hasn't she?" Sue-Ellen nodded and smiled as she looked down at her sleeping daughter. "I take it that your return to see us indicates that things haven't improved?" Sue-Ellen nodded. She was on the verge of tears. Grace offered her a tissue. This was a situation that the two women encountered on an almost daily basis.

"My marriage is over. Ella and I are staying in a hotel. My husband doesn't yet know that I, we, won't be coming back to him. He is a ruthless and cunning operator and I thought, as you advised last time, that a pre-emptive strike might be a more effective tactic to get what I want." Madeleine nodded. She might be young but she had clearly thought about her position, she thought. "Let's start then with that. Can I call you Sue-Ellen?" Sue-Ellen nodded. "What is it that you want from this sad situation?"

Sue-Ellen took a deep breath. "I want my children with me. Oh I'm sorry, I should have explained. I am in the early stages of my second pregnancy. It wasn't planned but I'm looking forward to it now. My children are my utmost priority. Unfortunately I predict that it will also be my husband's utmost priority to take them away from me and have them raised at his family home." Grace nodded at her superior. She understood completely that the Ewings would not let Sue-Ellen have the children without a fight.

"I don't care about money" Sue-Ellen continued "as long as I have enough to re-house myself appropriately and to raise my children. I don't anticipate a contest over money provided that I win custody of the children."

"In the eyes of the law, Sue-Ellen, there is only one child to fight about at present and that's the one lying in your arms. The court has no jurisdiction over an unborn child. It, the child, is simply a part of you. Now that is very much to our advantage, provided that you don't tell me anything unexpected about what has led to you being here, because that unborn child is your daughter's sibling and Judges never like to split siblings up in custody disputes. Plus there is your baby's tender age to consider. There is a rebuttable presumption that young children are better off with their mothers than their fathers. I say rebuttable because if the father can prove that you have behaved or will behave in a manner that renders you unfit to raise your child then the Judge will order him to have sole custody" Madeleine explained.

"Now you'd better tell us all about what's happened to bring you here to us. Grace will take a full note so you just speak at conversational speed. Oh and don't worry about being upset. It's perfectly natural and especially given the condition your are in." As Sue-Ellen began to recount the history of her marital woes, insane jealousy, the accusation of infidelity with Bobby and vicious rows, the two lawyers shook their heads. No wonder she wants out, Grace thought, his behaviour to her has been utterly intolerable. Madeleine, however, with her greater experience of these cases, had an instinct that there was more to what Sue-Ellen was saying than met the eye.

"Forgive me for asking, because this all sounds truly dreadful, but is there anything that you've done to contribute to the situation do you think?" Sue-Ellen began to cry. "I have been foolish and JR is bound to use it against me. I did associate for a short time, when we were having difficulties, with another man. However, absolutely nothing happened between us." Madeleine tapped her pen on the desk. "Are you prepared to tell us who the man is?" she asked. "It was Cliff Barnes." Shit, the lawyer thought, although she maintained a perfectly calm persona for Sue-Ellen's benefit. "And it's even more complicated because when my husband found out he had me meet up with Cliff a couple more times." The two women looked at her. "Why would he do that?" Grace interjected. "Because he is sick and twisted and he wanted to use the way Cliff felt about me to his own advantage. However, I can't say any more about that, I just can't."

"And the day you left? Tell us about that please, Sue-Ellen" Madeleine asked. The separation had come on the very day that Cliff Barnes had been arrested. There had to be a link, she considered. "He lost his temper with me and almost hit me. In front of the family. It was Bobby who got us off the ranch." "What made him lose his cool with you?" "I don't think I can discuss it, even with you when I know that what I say is confidential. It would be dangerous for me to go there and it cant come out in court either" Sue-Ellen replied.

"Alright then. You may have to reconsider your stance on that in the future but we will leave it at that for now. We will get on and prepare a divorce petition relying on irreconcilable differences between you and JR together with an application for interim custody of Ella. It will be served on JR probably the day after tomorrow" Madeleine explained. "He wants to see me, JR I mean, do I tell him that I'm taking him to court?" Madeleine pondered on the matter. "He may try to criticise you if he has had no advance notice of all of this so I would tell him but don't do so until tomorrow evening. That gives him no time to make a counter application before we lodge your papers" she advised.

As the consultation came to a natural close Ella woke. Sue-Ellen would have to hurry back to the hotel to feed and change her, she explained to the other women. "This is not going to be straightforward, Grace" Madeleine retorted after their new client had left the office.

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 **Author's note: thank you for all the reviews. I like to read your opinions and character allegiances :)**


	76. Chapter 77

Madeleine Storey sat up late to draft the necessary documents that would signal the commencement of Ewing v Ewing. Before she started she and Grace had discussed strategy. They had to close down one way or another an allegation against Sue-Ellen of an affair or improper association with the now infamous former DA for Dallas. Madeleine made use of her legal skills and years of experience and Grace utilised her knowledge of how JR was likely to operate. A plan was formed which both women hoped would turn out be in the best interests of their client.

After the petition, notice of application and draft affidavit Madeleine turned to prepare another document, "Legal Submissions on behalf of the Petitioner" was the title. That document wouldn't be filed and served, for tactical reasons, until they were at court for the first hearing, she mused deviously. Finally she rang her friend, Dr. Janet Scott. "Janet ? Hi, I'm sorry it's late. I need a medical report on a shared client slash patient, Mrs. Sue-Ellen Ewing. I need it for tomorrow. I understand that she is in the early stages of pregnancy and is suffering with extreme morning sickness?" "She certainly is. I like Sue-Ellen but her husband is no good. What do you need me to say in the report?" The two women discussed what was required and ended their call amicably. Thank goodness Sue-Ellen had the sense to go to her, the doctor thought as she began to type.

The following morning as further, final preparations were made to the case Sue-Ellen rang Southfork. As was customary these days JR rushed to the telephone. He had been becoming increasingly desperate to hear from his wife and his heart leapt at the sound of her voice on the line. "We need to talk, JR" Sue-Ellen stated calmly. "Yes of course! When and where?" he replied. "My hotel, say 6pm, and please can you bring your mama with you? We may need her help with Ella while we speak." "I can't see that being a problem. Six o'clock then. Sue-Ellen, I am sorry. I love you both and have missed you dreadfully" he entreated. He was telling the truth. The days since she had left had been intolerable. "See you later" she responded sadly and rang off.

The journey to the hotel that evening was occupied with discussion of what JR should and should not say. "Don't be too pushy with her, JR, and remember it was all your fault and not hers and it will never happen again. You are learning to be a good husband and father and you are going to try harder, alright?" his mother advised. "I know, but she did deceive me. She should never have kept Bobby's relationship with the Barnes girl a secret from me" he countered. "There is no use in being indignant, JR. I witnessed your behaviour that night. It was frightening and completely unacceptable. If you want that girl and your children back you have to admit that you were totally at fault." JR knew his mother was right. If he had to grovel he would. He had been utterly bereft since Sue-Ellen left. This evening was the first time in days that he had bothered to shave, a fact remarked upon by his worried parents in private.

When they arrived at the hotel they found Sue-Ellen waiting for them. She had arranged to use a small function room for their meeting, not wanting to say what she had to say in the confines of her suite. JR's eyes lit up as she passed Ella to him. She knew that, whatever his faults, he loved and missed his baby. As he kissed and hugged his little girl Sue-Ellen studied him. It had only been a week but he had lost an appreciable amount of weight, she thought. He also looked totally downcast. Miss Ellie hadn't exaggerated when she had described him as a broken man.

JR looked up at his wife. She looked tired and sad but, as ever, he was struck by her beauty. Surely it couldn't be in their interests to remain apart for a second longer, he asked himself. JR and Miss Ellie followed Sue-Ellen into the room. Miss Ellie took Ella from her son and seated herself in the furthest corner. They may have some very personal issues to discuss, she considered.

Sue-Ellen seated herself across a table from her husband nearest to the door. She had no idea how he was going to react to what she had to say and therefore she wasn't taking any chances with her personal safety. Thinking that she should at least give him a chance to speak she permitted JR to open the conversation. "Sue-Ellen, the last week has been torture. You and Ella are the best things ever to happen to me and now we have another little one on the way. Whatever madness inhabited me that night, it won't happen again, I promise. I've taken a long hard look at myself and I didn't like what I found. If you come back I assure you it will be different this time. I love you and I think you still love me."

"If it were only about love it would be easy, JR" Sue-Ellen began. "I do love you but I can't live with you anymore. I have the future of our two children to think about. It isn't just what you did last week. Your scheming against Cliff was making me ill and I tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen. It is not in the interests of our children to have a mother who is emotionally affected, scarred even, by the behaviour of their father. I knew when I married you that there was a side to you that was ruthless. I believed that the side only manifested itself in your work at Ewing Oil. However, you brought it into the family and you involved me in it and that's what I never expected from you, particularly given all we have been to each other lately." JR tried to take hold of Sue-Ellen's hand but she withdrew from him abruptly. "I have instructed a lawyer and proceedings are going to be issued for divorce and custody of Ella. I'm sorry but I don't feel I have any other choice."

"I will fight you" he responded. Whilst devastated by her news he was now determined to try to deter her by being menacing. "I know. I will take my chances in court." Miss Ellie had overheard the latter part of their conversation. She too was pole-axed by the cold manner in which her daughter-in-law had announced the end of her marriage. Standing up she intervened. "I apologise if you think I'm interfering but Sue-Ellen, surely not? JR has promised to change and it's abundantly clear that you both have deep love for each other. I mean, look at this little treasure and there's another one on the way! Are you just going to throw away all that you have achieved together?" JR then took the opportunity to join in. "Sue-Ellen we both know that we will never find anyone else with whom we can be happy. You're the love of my life, the mother of my children and my best friend, my only friend in fact." "It's over. I'm sorry" Sue-Ellen responded flatly.

At that JR made to take Ella from his mother. "You can go wherever you like but you don't take my children from me, understand?" Sue-Ellen looked beseechingly at her mother-in-law. For a few seconds Miss Ellie was tempted to hand the baby to her son. However, sense and decency dictated otherwise and she handed the baby to Sue-Ellen instead. "No JR, Ella must remain with her mother until a Judge decides on her future. Think on this, dear, two wrongs don't make a right and you are wrong this time, Sue-Ellen, to give up on your marriage in the way that you are doing. I recommend that you re-consider before you go into proceedings. My experience is that once the lawyers become involved there is no going back."

As JR and Miss Ellie left the room Sue-Ellen, clutching her baby girl, dissolved into uncontrollable tears.

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	77. Chapter 78

Jock was most displeased to hear that Sue-Ellen intended to end her marriage to JR and seek sole custody of their child. Naively and unwisely he had expected his daughter-in-law and grandchild to be with them when his wife and son got back. "If only it had been that easy, Jock" his wife observed. "If she wants a fight then she can have it" Jock growled. He went into the den and emerged several minutes later. "We have a meeting with Harve and his partner, the one who specialises in matrimonial law, at 7am tomorrow, JR." "Yes sir" JR replied. Sadness was now being replaced by anger. If he could get custody of Ella his wife was bound to return to him as well, only this time she would be chastened and less inclined to go against his wishes, he thought.

Peter Shaw had acquired a partnership in Smithfield and Bennett prodigiously early. He was tall and good looking with finely honed legal skills and a charming personality. He had taken to matrimonial law because he enjoyed dealing with people, especially the pretty former wives of the rich men of Dallas, who found his client "bedside manner" so comforting. He realised that representing JR Ewing would be a challenge but the Ewing family were one of the firm's best clients and therefore he had no option but to strive for the result that they were so keen for. Peter had met Sue-Ellen Ewing at the barbecue at Southfork. She was most alluring, he thought at the time. Much too good for JR but then all that money must hold certain attractions, he mused.

By the time that JR, Jock and Harve entered the office the documents that had to be filed and served in opposition had been drafted. Peter was an early riser and he liked to use his mornings productively. "JR, you do understand that to win custody of your daughter we have to prove Sue-Ellen's unfitness as a mother? I'm aware from my discussion with Harve last night that you don't actually want a divorce and in fact want Sue-Ellen back. Are you sure that a full-on fight in court is going to be conducive to a reconciliation?" He had to ask the question. Sometimes matrimonial clients just didn't understand that a full blown hearing at which hurtful evidence would have to be given tended in most cases to make matters worse."

"He wants his child" Jock interjected. "If that prompts his wife to come back to him as well then all the better. If not, it's the child we want. She's a Ewing and her place is at Southfork. Same for the child she is carrying." JR nodded. "There doesn't seem to be any other way, Peter. I've tried to cajole her, beg her even, as has my mama, but it hasn't worked. What do we know of opposing counsel?"

"There won't be anyone on the court record yet, not until the applications are issued. However, from all that you have told me I imagine it's a woman called Madeleine Storey. She doesn't mess around and the rapidity and short notice of all of this is just her style." "A woman? That's ridiculous. You ought to be able to bounce her right round the court room!" Jock laughed.

Harve pushed his spectacles further up his nose. "I'm afraid to say that Miss Storey is a formidable opponent, Jock, with an extremely good reputation. She fights fire with fire." "I agree" remarked his colleague. Peter had been up against Madeleine on many occasions and she was at least a match for him when it came to getting the best results for her clients. "This isn't going to be easy, I'm sorry but I have a duty to be honest with you."

At 9am exactly a call was put through to Peter. "Good morning, it's Madeleine. I've been instructed to act for Mrs. Sue-Ellen Ewing and I guessed that you've been instructed for her husband?" she began. "That's right, he's with us now." "Can you accept service on his behalf then, please?" "Yes that's just fine. When will the initial hearing be?" "I'm going to ask for it to be expedited to this afternoon. Your client threatened to abduct the subject child last night so the case has become urgent I'm afraid." Peter glared at JR. He hadn't informed him of that. It was a stupid move and one that he may live to regret, he thought. "Alright, please keep me posted." The female lawyer assured him that she would and rang off.

"JR, I need you now to go into another room with my assistant. She has to draft an affidavit from you in which you must detail all the reasons why you consider your wife to be unfit to care for Ella. It's better if your father doesn't accompany you, alright?" JR nodded and left the office. "What are the chances here?" Jock asked in his son's absence. "Not great, Jock. However it depends what JR has to say about her and then whether we can prove it. It also depends on which Judge we get. Now if we get someone older and more conservative, ideally a fella called Judge Caulfield, we stand a better chance. Hmmm, I wonder what his list looks like for this afternoon? I will get my secretary to make some enquiries." "Do whatever it takes, Peter" Jock replied. Sue-Ellen has no idea what she is taking on here, he thought, the girl is a fool if she thinks she can beat us.

At the office of Madeleine Storey a similar discussion was taking place with her trainee, Grace. "I'm just praying we don't get Caulfield. He is a dinosaur who thinks women should just obey their husbands. I'm hoping for Her Honour Judge Bertram. She's much more equal rights and she would be sensitive to Sue-Ellen's current situation." "Like a game of chess" Grace observed "you've got to have all your pieces in the right places to win, don't you?" Her boss nodded.

At 12.30pm the opposing lawyers were given word from the courthouse that the emergency hearing was to be listed in front of His Honour Judge Caulfield at 2pm. Those representing JR were triumphant whilst Sue-Ellen's team were deflated. "We mustn't let our client know what we think about this Judge. Contact her now please, Grace. Tell her to wear something sober and modest, only a small amount of make-up as well. Oh and if she possesses a cross and chain she needs to put it on" Madeleine advised. "Will do, boss."

Grace skipped into her office. She was looking forward very much to seeing which lawyer prevailed in this initial fight. "Sue-Ellen? It's on. You need to be at the courthouse for 1.30pm."

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	78. Chapter 79

Judge Thomas Caulfield picked up the file from his desk. Having rushed through his morning list in the expectation of joining a fellow judge on the golf course in the afternoon he was now inconvenienced with an urgent two o' clock hearing. Without looking at the file he got up. As the most senior judge in the building he was surely entitled to delegate from time to time, he thought.

He left his Chambers and entered the adjoining Chambers without knocking first. Her Honour Judge Michelle Bertram was sitting at her desk eating a sandwich. "Michelle, I was wondering if you could take this hearing please? I'm starting with a stress migraine and don't feel too good." His colleague beckoned him to give her the file with her free hand. "Sure, Tom. You go on home" she answered. As he left her Chambers Judge Bertram shook her head and smiled. She knew full well why he didn't want to take the case. The sooner he retires the better, she thought. She opened the file and at once recognised the names of the parties. Well, well, she mused. The Ewings were rich and powerful but evidently not without their problems.

JR and his team were the first to arrive at court. They jostled past a crew of press and photographers who had assembled outside, word having got round that there was a juicy story about to unfold. Jock glared at them. He had never had any time for the media. Peter Shaw was feeling much more confident having learnt which judge the case had been allocated to. He smiled pleasantly for the cameras.

Sue-Ellen and her team arrived a few seconds later. She had dropped Ella off to a kindly middle-aged secretary at Madeleine's firm who was used to taking care of children when their mothers were in court. "If all goes to plan we won't be very long" Madeleine reassured her. The presence of the press startled Sue-Ellen. She hadn't expected this. The photographers pushed their lenses in her face, anxious to get a good shot of the glamorous young woman who was about to go into battle with her powerful husband. "Stand aside, please" Madeleine commanded them authoritatively, pushing one particularly persistent person away from her client with an open hand.

JR noticed the chaos surrounding his wife and the two women. His instinct was to rush over and protect Sue-Ellen but his head told him that would be unwise. He watched as she advanced down the court corridor flanked by Madeleine and Grace. He recognised Grace immediately, as did Jock. "Trust her to be on Sue-Ellen's side" his father remarked. Sue-Ellen was wearing a simple black shift dress which revealed the tiniest hint of a baby bump. Her hair was tied up in a smart chignon and she had on less make-up than usual. Her sombre appearance was completed by a silver cross and chain which, other than her wedding ring, was her only item of jewellery. She looked younger and more vulnerable. No doubt that is the intention, JR thought.

Meanwhile Peter's eye had been taken by Grace. He had never seen the young woman before. She must be in training, he pondered. Grace met his gaze directly. She smiled slyly at him. Madeleine had told her all about his reputation as a ladies' man. He might be fun to get to know better once this case was over, she mused.

One of the court ushers emerged and beckoned the advocates over. "Miss Storey, Mr. Shaw, Judge Bertram is going to hear this case now. Judge Caulfield has been taken ill." Madeleine grinned. Peter looked irked. "Thank you" Madeleine replied "please can you give the Judge these two documents? One is a medical report and the other my legal argument." She pulled two copies of each from her file, one for the Judge and the other for her opponent, and handed them over. "Yes of course, how long do you need?" the usher responded. "Only as long as it takes for the Judge and Mr. Shaw to read them" she answered with an air of supreme confidence.

Peter returned to JR, skim reading what he had been handed as he walked. "JR, I've just been served with a medical report on Sue-Ellen. The doctor says she is unfit to give evidence and to compel her to do so would be likely to be injurious to her health and that of your unborn child. I've also been served with legal argument to the effect that the case should be adjourned for 6 to 8 weeks with the status quo preserved concerning Ella to give her mother time to recover fitness to participate in a full hearing." "What?" Jock growled under his breath. "It's a classic stalling tactic I'm afraid. The longer your child is cared for by her mother the harder it will be to prove unfitness and gain interim custody." "Well, you oppose it with all your might then, Peter" Jock demanded. The lawyer shook his head. "Easier said than done. Plus we've been given a different Judge which will make it harder still." "Just do whatever you have to" JR interjected. "I need her and my child back home."

At that point the case was called in. The Judge's entry into court was met with a small bow from the two advocates which she politely returned. She knew them both well and she expected no nonsense from either of them this afternoon, given what she had just read. "Miss Storey, thank you for the legal argument and the medical report. I don't require any further assistance from you at this stage. Mr. Shaw, do you wish to address me?" "Yes please, Your Honour."

As Peter launched into his submissions which were extremely competent and, at first blush, attractive, the Judge turned her attention to the couple whose lives were being affected by this process. Neither of them looked angry with the other, she observed. On the contrary she noticed them glance at each other in a way that made her suspicious that neither of them really wanted things to turn out this way. They both looked tired and miserable and she felt somewhat sorry for them, particularly Sue-Ellen.

Peter finished his submissions and looked expectantly at the Judge. "Thank you very much. It's clear that you have given the position much thought, Mr. Shaw. However, I have decided that I am going to grant the proposed eight week adjournment. Mrs. Ewing would not be able to have a fair trial given her current state of health." She paused and then resumed speaking "I'm not prejudging anything, however, it is only right and proper for me to indicate that Mr. Ewing has some serious thinking to do about his future position" she began. "Your Honour, Mr. Ewing has been doing just that. He has concerns about the care that would be afforded to his child by his wife" Peter countered. He didn't like not getting his own way.

"Yes concerns, precisely, but how do I find that his concerns evidence that the child is at risk in her mother's care? Then there is the fact that she is also carrying another child, a full sibling to Ella. You can see where this is going, can't you?" Madeleine nodded in staged agreement with the Judge. "In any event, I am ordering the period over which we are adjourned to be used constructively. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing will enter mediation concerning their child, twice a week for eight weeks, and then we will take stock. You are both trained legal mediators aren't you?" "Yes Your Honour" the two advocates replied. Madeleine felt like punching the air. "Oh and finally, I've read that Mrs. Ewing and Ella are currently staying in a hotel. That can't continue. I'm sure that you can negotiate interim alimony and child support that will be sufficient to put a proper roof over their heads in the meantime. That is unless you wish me to put a peremptory figure on it?" JR shook his head. "It's not about the money. She can have whatever she wants" he whispered.

The Judge heard what JR said. "Good. Therefore, the case is adjourned until a date that my clerk will supply to you in approximately eight weeks. Ella shall remain in the interim custody of her mother and her father shall have reasonable visitation rights at a minimum of each Saturday and Sunday but during the daytimes only. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Ewing, I sense that things may have become slightly out of control here. I urge you to see what reparative work can be done by both of you over the forthcoming weeks. Do you understand?" JR and Sue-Ellen nodded politely. As the Judge retired she hoped that they had got her drift. She had seen many couples in her time and there was still real feeling between those two, she believed.

After the Judge had left the courtroom Jock rose to his feet. "Sue-Ellen, you won't win this, you do know that don't you?" he stated. Sue-Ellen looked down at the floor. "Daddy please don't, not now" JR pleaded. At that his father stormed angrily out of court.

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	79. Chapter 80

"Ludicrous!" Jock thundered as he entered the house, followed by a subdued JR. Miss Ellie hurried to her husband's side. "I take it that it didn't go well then?" she asked. She had deliberately remained away from the courthouse, a decision that had irritated Jock. She just hadn't been able to face it. Plus she hadn't wanted her presence to be interpreted by Sue-Ellen as a sign of her allegiance to her son because, at this point, she didn't particularly agree with what either of them were doing. Neutral was the best adjective to describe how she was feeling.

JR shook his head but before he could speak his father continued "female Judge, case adjourned because Sue-Ellen is pregnant and vomiting a bit, Ella stays with her in the meantime and then, get this, orders my son into mediation with her! I mean, mediation, what the hell does it even mean?". Miss Ellie permitted her husband's staccato rant to reach its natural conclusion before interjecting. "But JR will get to see Ella during that period won't he?" "I have visitation rights each Saturday and Sunday, mama. I have also agreed a financial allowance to enable Sue-Ellen to be re-housed" he replied.

Miss Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. At first blush what her husband had been saying implied that JR and the family had been barred from seeing the baby. Deep down she felt that the best place for Ella was in her mother's overall care but the child was also entitled to know her paternal family, she thought. She took a deep breath before responding. "I think the Judge made the right decision, for the time being. Ella is very young and young babies need their mamas."

"Now you are the one who is being ludicrous, Miss Ellie!" Jock shouted. "Sue-Ellen can't give that baby what we can! As for mediation, why should our son have to come to the table to beg and plead with her for the right to bring up his child?" Miss Ellie was annoyed but kept her cool. "How often do you have to attend, JR?" She sensed that her son wasn't anywhere nearly as resistant to the notion as her husband. "Twice a week, mama. I'm not sure but I sort of appreciated that the Judge would actually like us to sort out all our differences, in their totality, and that's what I want too" he responded.

"So a Judge has effectively ordered a situation in which you and Sue-Ellen have to see each other four times a week? If that level of contact between you doesn't enable you to win your wife back then nothing will. Jock, I have to disagree with you about the wisdom of the woman, sorry."

Jock harrumphed his disapproval whilst JR pondered on what his mother had just said. Perhaps there was still hope, he mused. He would have to go about things the right way, though, and not try to run before he could walk. He had made that mistake with Sue-Ellen before.

Sue-Ellen returned with Ella to the hotel. On the way back she had been into a real estate agency and picked up a bundle of particulars of houses for rent, each of them in select and expensive Dallas neighbourhoods. Suddenly it occurred to her. In the whirlwind that had followed her departure from Southfork she had omitted to inform her mother of what had occurred between her and JR. By tomorrow her photograph outside the courthouse would be splashed across the press and the secret would be out. She picked up the telephone and dialled Patricia's number. Her stomach lurched when she heard her mother's voice on the other end.

"Hello, mother. I have some news. It's not good" she began. Patricia sighed exaggeratedly. "Go on then" she demanded. As Sue-Ellen began to explain Patricia exploded with anger. "How could you just walk out on your husband, Sue-Ellen? You had everything you needed with JR and you just threw it away! What are you going to do now? Do you have any idea how a single mother with two small children is regarded in society circles? Well do you?" Sue-Ellen carried on with her explanation despite the fact that she felt upset and, not for the first time in her life, completely unsupported by her mother, the one person that she ought to have been able to rely on. When she had finished talking there was silence for what seemed an eternity from the other end. "So, you have two options. Go back to Southfork, that's if JR and his family will have you back, or carry on and divorce him and try to take him to the cleaners. It's up to you but I strongly recommend the former. Your husband was entitled to your loyalty and support. Instead you kept one mighty big secret from him about his brother, his main rival for the ultimate control of Ewing Oil. Really, Sue-Ellen? I thought that you were more intelligent. I mean, rather than throw yourself on JR's mercy when he found out, you leave him and then take him to court. Jock's right when he says you can't win this. You can't beat a family like the Ewings where your children are concerned. Think on that for goodness sake." Patricia's words were biting. After she had rung off Sue-Ellen began leafing through the real estate documentation. Her hands were shaking and she was filled with doubt.

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	80. Chapter 81

The two lawyers looked at each other meaningfully. They weren't having the best of days. The first mediation session for their clients had not got off to a good start. First of all, Peter Shaw had to explain in somewhat robust terms that the presence of Jock Ewing even in the reception area of his firm wasn't likely to find favour with the young Mrs. Ewing and her attorney. "It could be interpreted as threatening, Jock" he explained. Then JR had objected to the presence of Grace Kay in the session as a silent observer. "I'm not risking her going back home and telling her parents all our private business" he had retorted.

After twenty five minutes the lawyers were fed up. They glanced at each other. JR was leaning forward in his seat, his voice raised as he explained forcefully how he saw the issue of custody of their child being resolved. Madeleine rolled her eyes. No matter how many times she had encountered this sort of situation before she still struggled to keep her patience with men like JR Ewing. Sue-Ellen had drawn back from the table and folded her arms in a defensive stance. She was refusing to answer her husband. Peter shrugged his shoulders. This was going nowhere other than round in circles.

"I think that our clients would benefit from a break and then a short private consultation with us?" Peter suggested. "I can make another room available for you and Mrs. Ewing, Miss Storey?" "I agree, thank you" Madeleine replied. Peter stood up and gestured to Sue-Ellen and his opponent to leave the room. As Sue-Ellen passed JR he grabbed her firmly by the arm. "I want a word with my wife. She still is my wife, you know." Sue-Ellen pulled away from him as her lawyer quickly intervened. "Mr. Shaw, please advise your client that he is not to make any physical contact with Mrs. Ewing. It isn't welcome and it certainly isn't helpful to this process" she stated firmly. Peter shot JR a warning glance. He definitely didn't want Judge Bertram to be informed that the mediation ordered by her had broken down through his client trying to strong-arm his wife.

Peter showed Sue-Ellen into another boardroom and ordered her a cup of tea. He then asked to speak to Madeleine for a few minutes about another matter. This was a classic family lawyer's tactic. They both needed a breather from their respective clients but didn't want them to know that this was the case. Passing her a cup of coffee Peter smiled at his opponent. "God, this is not going to be easy is it?" he asked rhetorically. "Oh no, it isn't" Madeleine replied. "We both know where this is going don't we? Sue-Ellen will get full custody and JR visitation rights, mostly at the weekends and during holidays. I take it that you've given him that advice?" "You know me. I'm a straight talker. However, JR's actions are heavily influenced by the wishes of his father and Jock Ewing can be most unreasonable when he wants. He's determined to see that little baby back at Southfork. Plus it's even more complicated because my client wants a reconciliation not a divorce." "I know. He thinks that by gaining custody it will send her straight back into his arms. Unrealistic in my estimation" she responded. They sighed simultaneously and sipped their drink.

"Come on, let's get back to them. Let's have another time limited try, at least to get them to think about the case from the other's perspective" Madeleine suggested. The two lawyers retired briefly to their clients where stern and realistic advice was offered. To say that they were met with intransigence was an understatement. They would have to adopt a different approach they each concluded independently of one another.

"Please can you both reflect on why you decided to become parents?" Madeleine resumed. "JR's family, his father, expected it" Sue-Ellen began. "There has to be at least one heir to Ewing Oil, to carry on the family legacy. There was absolutely no question that a child, actually a son, was expected. Nature played a cruel little trick, however, when I delivered a girl as our first born." She was angry and embittered by JR's behaviour in the session and her response was designed to hurt him. She anticipated that he would fight fire with fire with a similarly barbed reply. However, she received a surprise instead.

JR shook his head. "No, that isn't true. I mean it's partly true, the bit about my father. However, we decided to try for a baby because we loved each other, we had a happy and fulfilling marriage and we wanted to create our own little family. For a time we were so happy. We were a team in caring for Ella. I'm just sorry that it went wrong. That was my fault" The time sat alone in the boardroom had given JR the space to think. His mother was right, not his father. Rather than bullying and demanding, as he had just done in the first part of the session, he had to appeal to Sue-Ellen, he thought.

"Sue-Ellen, do you agree with what JR has just said?" asked Peter. Sue-Ellen nodded tearfully. "So now we move on to consider the future. Ella has a legal right to a relationship with both parents. Now, it's painful to contemplate not having her with you 24-7 but that's not going to be possible now, is it? I would encourage you to think about what time you are best able to spend in caring for your daughter and then think of an appropriate way of dividing that time between you."

Sue-Ellen and JR made eye contact and nodded. Madeleine sensed that if they tried to make further progress at this point there was a risk that each would revert to their original positions. "Mr. Shaw, I suggest bringing this session to a close to give our clients time to reflect on what we have just discussed. Do you agree?" "I do" the male lawyer responded. Sue-Ellen exited the boardroom first, followed by JR a few minutes later. Before he left he was advised not to pursue his wife. "I won't Peter, I promise."

After both clients were well clear of the building Peter and Madeleine giggled. It was a giggle of relief. "They might be turning the corner, you know" Peter suggested. "Let's hold onto that then" his opponent replied.

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 **Author's note: thank you for all the reviews. Your comments about the Texan legal system are interesting because in the UK, even in the 70's, a wife giving birth to a child was regarded as a significant contribution to a marriage, even if she brought no money/assets to it. That is still the case over here - probably why many rich, foreign women try to bring their divorce proceedings over here as they get a much better deal from our courts! ;)**


	81. Chapter 82

As Sue-Ellen went to open the door she was filled with trepidation. It was JR's first weekend visit with Ella since they had appeared in court. She was relieved to see that Miss Ellie had accompanied him, no doubt to ensure that there was no trouble. "Is she ready to go?" JR asked brusquely. "Yes she is. I've packed her bag with everything that she will need" Sue-Ellen responded, passing the changing bag to him. They made the briefest of eye contact and then looked away.

Sue-Ellen passed Ella to her grandmother who was waiting, arms outstretched, to take the baby from her. "How are you, dear?" Miss Ellie asked. "I'm alright, thank you. I'm still very sick but I'm managing. I see my doctor weekly and she's giving me good care." Miss Ellie then turned to her son. "JR, you have something to tell Sue-Ellen don't you?" "We've brought your car for you" he replied. Sue-Ellen's eyes lit up. She was growing weary of using cabs all the time but hadn't dared to request her car in the mediation session. "That's very thoughtful of you, thank you. It will make things so much easier." JR shrugged. "It's yours. You're entitled to it."

"What are you going to do today?" Miss Ellie asked. She had a genuine interest in how her daughter-in-law intended to spend her time. "I'm viewing some houses. I need to get a proper place to live." Miss Ellie nodded but felt sad at the same time. Of course the young woman needed to find somewhere to live but it felt like she was moving further and further away from JR and the family by doing so. JR shook his head dejectedly.

As they were leaving Miss Ellie lingered behind for a few moments. "Sue-Ellen I need to ask you, have you heard anything from Bobby?" Sue-Ellen nodded in response. "He called me yesterday to ask how we were doing." "Do you know where he is? Please Sue-Ellen?" Thus far Jock's enquiries had drawn a blank regarding the location of their youngest son. "He wouldn't tell me, I'm sorry. He was very cagey. He did tell me to let you know that he is okay though. I didn't want to say anything in front of JR because Bobby and Pamela are still together and I got the impression that this is how it is going to be for the indefinite future. I didn't want to make JR any angrier than he already is."

Miss Ellie nodded. "This is all so terrible, Sue-Ellen. The family has been torn apart. I'm determined not to take sides though. I will always be here for you if you need me." Sue-Ellen patted her mother-in-law's hand gently and gave Ella one last kiss. "I hope you have an enjoyable day" she remarked as she watched Miss Ellie leave.

Suddenly the reality of her situation hit home. This was how most, if not all, weekends were going to be in future. Ella and the new baby would be at Southfork and she would be all alone. She would be completely dependent on JR for her financial support, a prospect that scared her because it rendered her extremely vulnerable. There wouldn't be a new man because she still loved JR, even though she had found it intolerable to live with him, and the thought of dating anyone else made her shudder. She started to feel very sick. The thought that sent her over the edge was how she'd feel when JR inevitably met someone else.

Sue-Ellen rushed into the bathroom and violently expelled her breakfast. As she sat on the floor drying her eyes the words of her mother came flooding back to her. She was going to be a young, divorced woman with two small children to care for. In other words, a social outcast. At that she began to cry.

The car journey back to Southfork took place in silence. Miss Ellie was upset about what Sue-Ellen had to say about Bobby. The fact that he wasn't prepared to tell anyone his whereabouts spoke volumes about the chaos and dysfunction that had reigned on the night he left.

JR was saddened by the increasing distance that Sue-Ellen was placing between them. Like her he started to ponder on what the future would hold for him if the divorce went ahead. His immediate thoughts turned to the loss of everything that he valued about his marriage to her- the love, sex, comfort and friendship. He had once told her that re-marrying would be easy. He had lied. He didn't think for one moment that he would meet another woman who could rival her. Yes, there would probably be sexual encounters with other women, to give him release, but they weren't likely to go beyond that. His thoughts then turned to his children. He cringed when the realisation dawned that he was, in all likelihood, going to be a part-time father. He knew deep down that he couldn't win the custody fight although he might have to go through with it to satisfy his daddy. His attorney had been crystal clear in his advice that he faced the most uphill of struggles to get his children, particularly after Sue-Ellen's initial victory.

JR's mind then wandered to an even darker reality. Sue-Ellen was young and beautiful. There would be other men, men who would touch her, sleep in her bed and have sex with her. A time would come when she received a proposal from one such person and she would accept it. Not only would she then no longer belong to him but his children would have a step-father. Now it was his turn to feel nauseous.

Tbc


	82. Chapter 83

JR and Miss Ellie dropped Ella back to her mother at 6pm as agreed. They'd had a lovely day with her. She was a sweet baby with a pleasant and placid nature. Even Lucy, who remained angry with JR, had recognised that it was going to be agony for him to have to hand his child over. "At least we get to see her again tomorrow" she commented, trying to be conciliatory. JR muttered something imperceptible in reply to which Lucy just shrugged her shoulders. She had only been trying to be kind to him, she thought.

In fact, JR had got himself more and more worked up as the day went by and as the end of the visit with his little daughter grew ever nearer. He was ruminating on a future in which his wife remarried and had another man bringing up his children and he couldn't tolerate it. It was as inconceivable as it was torturous, he thought.

"Did you find a suitable place to rent, Sue-Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked as her daughter-in-law took charge of Ella once more. "Yes I did in the end, thank you. It's a comfortable town house in a nice district, not too far from Southfork and it's available immediately" Sue-Ellen replied. There was a palpable sadness in her voice as she spoke but JR was much too emotional to pick up on it. Sue-Ellen noticed that her husband was troubled and was glad that she had Miss Ellie as a shield. She had witnessed his silent brooding before. It was usually a precursor to an outburst of anger and she didn't need that this evening.

After several awkward minutes JR and Miss Ellie took their leave. Dinner would be served in half an hour and neither of them cared to be late. It would only put Jock in an even more sombre mood, Miss Ellie thought. After bathing and settling Ella down for the night Sue-Ellen decided to order a light, room-service dinner and then have an early night.

At 9pm as she was just settling into bed there came a knock on her door. She wondered who it could be. "Yes?" she called through the locked door. "Sue-Ellen it's me. We need to talk" JR growled in reply. "JR, not now, please go away" she entreated. She should have known that something like this would happen, she thought. Her rejection of him was met with a loud rap on the door. Sue-Ellen was concerned that he would disturb the other residents of the hotel. "Please, JR, I'll speak to you in the morning, I promise" she pleaded. He rapped sharply once again.

Sue-Ellen felt no option but to open the door. Predictably, as soon as she did so JR barged right through. He was obviously drunk. "Ella is fast asleep in the next room, JR. Please don't wake her" Sue-Ellen asked. JR smiled and plonked himself down on the sofa. He was somewhat unsteady on his feet, she noticed. "Come and sit down here with me, darlin'" he replied, patting the sofa next to him. "We're gonna have a little talk." Sue-Ellen remained standing. There was no way that she wanted to be in such close proximity to him. Her refusal turned out to be a mistake. JR staggered back to his feet and lunged at her "what was one of your wedding vows, honey? Oh, I know! To love, honour and obey. You still haven't learnt to obey have you?" His face was now in hers. Sue-Ellen began to back away. He followed her until he had her in the corner. He put his arm out to stop her from slinking out of his way.

"Now Sue-Ellen, just listen to me. I'm still your husband" he began. His tone was menacing. "You think you can take my children away from me do you? It's never going to happen. Not as long as there is breath in my body." "We will have to see about that won't we?" she countered. She was trying to put a bold front on. "I beat you in court last time, remember?" "That was a minor victory in a minor battle, darlin', trust me. The war will only be won by me. By the time the case is finished your reputation will be in tatters. All those little tete a tetes with the blackmailer Barnes behind my back and that's just me starting. Are you following my drift? Are you?" he slurred.

Sue-Ellen attempted to push him away but, even intoxicated, he was too strong for her. "Of course you can stop all of this nonsense right now. Come back home. You can't possibly be happy in a town house, all on your own. You're a woman with needs, needs that only I can meet. I can be good to you, you know that don't you? If you are a good wife to me I'll be a good husband to you. Face it, Sue-Ellen, without me you are nothing and you have nothing."

His words were stinging. "We'll see about that won't we? I don't need to listen to you for one second longer. You're drunk and by tomorrow morning my attorney will know all about your behaviour!" she argued. "Tell anyone you like, get armed guards, attack dogs, whatever you want but I promise you, Miss Texas, as long as you keep my children away from me there won't be a place on God's green earth where you can get away from me."

JR let down his arm and made his way unsteadily from the suite, slamming the door behind him.

tbc

 **Author's note: thank you for all the kind reviews and ideas. This is probably the last chapter for a while :(**


	83. Chapter 84

Jealousy 84

Sue-Ellen and JR sat opposite each other across Madeleine's large boardroom table. They were about to start another session of legal mediation and neither of them relished the prospect one bit. Every time JR tried to make eye contact with her Sue-Ellen averted her gaze. At times she could be utterly inscrutable, he thought. He was trying to work out whether his behaviour on Saturday night had been reported to her lawyer. If so, he imagined that the hard faced bitch would definitely try to use it to her client's advantage.

Part of him felt ashamed of the way he had conducted himself. He had been drunk and had behaved badly towards his wife. However, she should understand how frustrating it was to hear that, rather than returning to Southfork where she and Ella belonged, she was planning a future elsewhere. How many more times and in how many different ways could he say sorry? He was weary of it, he thought as he watched the two lawyers open their notebooks and unscrew their pens.

Sue-Ellen felt nauseous but couldn't decide whether it was nerves or her daily morning sickness kicking in. Perhaps it was a bit of both, she mused. Taking deep breaths to try to stem the waves that were by now getting stronger her thoughts turned to what had happened on Saturday night. She had decided, on a fine balance, not to inform Madeleine. The truth was that JR had cut a somewhat pathetic figure as he tried drunkenly to browbeat her into submission, like a little boy who has a tantrum because he can't get his own way, she mused. She had been a little afraid of him but, deep down, realised that, even under the influence, the last thing that he would do was physically hurt her given that she was carrying his child.

"Shall we begin?" Madeleine announced. "Last week we invited you to think about what time you can both effectively devote to the care of Ella and then consider what a fair division of that time might be. Mr. Ewing do you have any thoughts?" Madeleine was careful to ensure that the process of mediation was sufficiently balanced and objective to avoid complaint or judicial scrutiny and so tactically began with JR.

"Yes I have" he replied. Peter looked at Madeleine. Could this be an encouraging start? "We had the perfect arrangement when we all lived together. I obviously have to work and during weekdays Sue-Ellen cared for Ella. However, in the evenings and weekends we shared her care and it was really good. No, actually it was wonderful."

Madeleine rolled her eyes at her opposite number. Back to square one, they thought simultaneously. "Have you had any thoughts, Sue-Ellen?" The woman might make a more sensible proposal, she thought. "I don't want JR to be marginalised as a father because he is a really good father and Ella deserves to have a relationship with him" she began. This appeared rather more promising, the lawyers thought. Peter noted also that the couple had begun to make eye contact. Much better, he hoped. "My proposal is that I move closer to Southfork, JR gets to see Ella each weekend, at least until she is school age when we will have to review the position, and he can also visit and put her to bed several evenings each week after he has finished work. The same arrangement will apply in the fullness of time to the new baby."

Madeleine sat back in her chair. She and Peter appreciated that the young woman had just made her husband an offer that he couldn't afford to refuse. JR knew that he was expected to respond but he was confused. Sue-Ellen mustn't have told her attorney about his recent bad behaviour because if she had there was no way that she would have been advised to make the offer that she just had. Misjudging the situation badly by imagining that he could push her even further JR responded. "Not good enough I'm afraid. I'd still be a part time father. My children's place is at Southfork, with or without their mother. Tell you what, Sue-Ellen, reverse the situation and we may have a deal."

God, Peter thought. He wondered whether now was the time to adjourn for private consultation but before he could make the suggestion Sue-Ellen spoke. "I'm heart sick of yours and your father's obsession with Southfork as being the only place where our children could be happily raised. They should be with their mama, JR, so that the mistakes of the past aren't made again. Do you understand what I am driving at? Do you?"

Her calm rejection of his counter proposal and oblique reference to his own upbringing shocked JR. Sue-Ellen had never been meek and mild but more than ever she was now rational and robust in her approach. "I think it's time for a short break. Miss Storey, do you agree?" Madeleine nodded. Her professional experience told her that Peter was about to give some stern advice to his client.

As Peter and JR exited the room Madeleine winked at Sue-Ellen. "You did well there" she told her client once the two men were gone. Sue-Ellen smiled weakly and nodded. "But what if I still love him, Madeleine? What if I felt that away from Southfork, in a home of our own, we have a chance to be happy together, with our children? I've been thinking about what the Judge said. About this all going too far and it not really being the solution to our problems." Madeleine was surprised by this development. To date Sue-Ellen had been resolute about her marriage being over. "Sue-Ellen, what has brought all this about?" she asked. "I don't know. Yes, I do, actually. I'm sad and he's sad. The root cause of our problems is that ranch. We've no privacy there and, although I have always had whatever I have wanted and in many ways his parents have been very good to me, I feel like a house guest. Whenever we have been away we have been so happy, I can't tell you."

"Gosh! Have you told JR all of this?" Madeleine asked. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "It's not too late, you know. Why don't you just tell him? If he really loves you he will hear you out." At that Madeleine left the room. She needed to speak to Peter.

tbc


	84. Chapter 85

Jealousy 85

Knocking quietly on the door of the boardroom where JR and Peter were ensconced, Madeleine put her head through the door and politely requested a word with her colleague. "My client wants to speak to yours in private, Peter." Peter looked at her quizzically and then followed her. "She wants a reconciliation, only on certain terms, though." "Well, I wasn't expecting that" he replied. "I know. Will you take his instructions?"

Peter went back into the room. He returned seconds later. JR had jumped at the suggestion. Madeleine returned to Sue-Ellen. "He'll talk to you, Sue-Ellen. He's very eager to. I haven't gone into any detail about what you want though. That's for you to outline to your husband." Sue-Ellen smiled with relief. This feels right, she thought. "I don't want us to talk here, Madeleine. I think we should go somewhere neutral, if you understand what I mean?" The lawyer nodded. Her offices weren't exactly the right place to talk about putting a marriage back together again.

Five minutes later JR and Sue-Ellen were walking out of the building. They agreed to go for coffee to a quiet little place that Peter and Madeleine had recommended. The atmosphere between them was awkward. Since their separation, whenever they had spoken, the words they used tended to be bitter and designed to cause hurt. Now it was different and neither of them really knew what to say. "Sue-Ellen, are you OK?" JR asked attempting to break the impasse. His wife nodded. "Yes thank you, are you?" "I think so. I hope so" he replied, touching her hand ever so gently as he did so. He was pleased to see that she didn't shirk away from his contact.

When they arrived at the coffee shop they took a table tucked away in the corner. Thankfully it was quiet. There was only one other customer in. Once the coffees had arrived Sue-Ellen began to speak. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, JR. I love you despite some of the things that you have done and I know that you love me too." JR nodded his head vigorously but didn't want to interrupt her. "Before we met I had an idea of what married life would be like but then that changed because I accepted your proposal and the expectation that we would live with your parents at Southfork went very much with it. Now I don't want you to think that I am being ungrateful, because Jock and Miss Ellie have been very good to me and in many ways I have been very privileged, but I only conceded living at Southfork because I loved you and wanted to be married to you. It wasn't what I really wanted. If I'd had a choice you and I would have lived in our own home, albeit that we surely would have been frequent visitors to the ranch."

JR was perplexed. Where was all this coming from and, more importantly, where was it going? he wondered. "Go on, darlin." "When we are at Southfork there's no real privacy, JR. We can't make love without having to be discreet and quiet about it and when we argue the whole family hear pretty much every word that passes between us. However, that's not the principal point. I'm not so naïve as to be ignorant of the fact that you, your daddy, Bobby even, sometimes have to do things in business that might be regarded by many others as ruthless and immoral, to protect the interests of Ewing Oil and consequently the family. Until recently I believed that side of your life could be compartmentalised and would never have to intrude in our life as a couple and as parents. However, the reality is that it can't be boxed off in that way and more and more often the dealings of Ewing Oil have crept into life at Southfork in a way that, frankly, I've found abhorrent. The Cliff Barnes incident exemplifies that perfectly. You went after an enemy for business as well as personal purposes and I was caught up in it and ended up being hurt. If we had a place of our own, a haven of peace and ordinary family life, I'm protected from that sort of fall-out in the future. Plus, from your point of view you get a complete break from all the plotting and scheming that has to occur at work."

She paused to sip her coffee. She was grateful that he had not interjected and was still listening. In fact, JR was listening very intently. "When we have been away together, like at the lake house recently, I feel free. Free to be your wife, Ella's mama and able to look after you as a wife should. We are happiest as a couple when we are away from Southfork. You know that don't you?"

JR nodded but looked doubtful at the same time. "Sue-Ellen, honey, just cut to the chase will you?" he asked. "This week Ella and I are moving into the house I found. It's not far from Southfork. If we are going to get back together that is where we are going to do it, not your family home. I want you to visit us there, stay with us eventually. We need to do this gradually and if it works out I propose that we find our own home just for the four of us."

"Phew! I need to think about all of this, Sue-Ellen. I'm not saying no, please trust me. I want you and Ella back and you may be right about us having to make a fresh start together but there's my daddy to consider. He's not going to be best pleased if we all end up living away from Southfork. I also have to think about how he might punish me, business- wise, if I do move out." At that he took her hand and kissed it.

He was surprised by her response. "I've thought about all of that too, I promise. I don't want you to make any hasty decisions that you may later regret and resent me for. Why don't you come over to the house for dinner? I'll be fully installed in a couple of days' time. That will give you time to think and then we can talk again." JR breathed an audible sigh of relief. If he turned on sufficient charm he reckoned he could get Sue-Ellen to agree to jettison the idea of them living somewhere else and return to Southfork eventually.

Sue-Ellen smiled. If she could get him hooked on what family life should be, including a varied and unrestricted love-life, she calculated that she could get exactly what she wanted.

Tbc

 **Thank you for all the kind reviews :)**


	85. Chapter 86

Jealousy 86

"I won't be home for dinner tonight, mama" JR announced as he was leaving for the office. His mother raised an eyebrow. Since his separation from Sue-Ellen he had hardly been out and when he had it had been for business not social purposes. JR knew that his absence from the dinner table, particularly on a Friday when his father had always insisted on the whole family being present, would prompt the obvious questions as to his whereabouts. However, he didn't want his father to know where he was going as he knew Jock well enough to realise that he would be likely to pile the pressure on for him to bring Sue-Ellen and Ella back home.

"I'm going to Sue-Ellen's new place for dinner but I don't want daddy to know just yet. We're talking about reconciling but things are much too fragile at the moment to mean that it's definite. Please make an excuse for me, business meeting or something?" Miss Ellie knew what her son meant. Jock would almost certainly come on strong if he knew and insist on greater progress than JR could perhaps deliver. "I understand, JR. Don't worry. I am so glad that you and Sue-Ellen are trying to put things right and you are correct not to push for this if delicacy is what is required" she replied, smiling at the idea that, at least where her daughter-in-law and granddaughter were concerned, they might all be a family again at some point in the near future.

JR spent the day at the office in a state of anticipation. He was excited but anxious at the same time. Concentrating on work was proving difficult but since Bobby's departure there seemed to be an ever increasing amount of work to be done. Just before lunch Jock entered JR's office. His demeanour told JR that he was pleased about something. "Hey JR! A bit of good news at long last! We've been granted permission to build the refinery!" he exclaimed. JR smiled but felt a mixture of emotions. It was obvious that the consents would go through once all the mayhem surrounding Cliff and Bob McKenzie had died down, the latter recognising that it was in his interests to keep the Ewing family on side. However, the whole affair had led to him losing his wife and daughter and if he had known this at the time he would never have proceeded with the plan. "That's just great, daddy" he replied. "It's going to mean a lot of work, JR, especially without Bobby" Jock responded "say, shall we all go out to the Oil Barons' Club tonight to celebrate? I can ring your mama and tell her to cancel dinner at home."

"Oh, I'm sorry daddy, I've something else on tonight. I was going to mention it later." JR was panicking inside. "I'm meeting up with some of the members of the Cartel. I have a feeling that they have something afoot and I want to see if they will cut us in on it" he lied. "Alright then, you get on with that. I'm going to call Harve and get this refinery project going." At that Jock left the office and JR breathed an audible sigh of relief.

As arranged JR was on the doorstep of Sue-Ellen's new house at 6pm sharp. They had agreed that he could spend some time with Ella before she was put down for bed. He rang the doorbell and waited. In one hand he had a bouquet of two dozen yellow roses interspersed with gypsophelia, her favourite. In the other a bottle of champagne ostensibly to toast her new home but in reality to calm his nerves.

Sue-Ellen answered the door and shyly invited JR in. She didn't know what he would think of the place. It was upmarket but nothing like Southfork, she thought. As she accepted the flowers and the champagne graciously, commenting that for her a small glass of the latter would be her limit, JR looked around. She had created a very comfortable and pleasant living environment, he considered. The décor and furnishings were, in keeping with her good taste, extremely attractive and the house had a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

JR spotted Ella who was sitting in her baby bouncer, wide awake and happily gurgling. He went straight to pick her up. Seeing her husband respond so quickly and eagerly to their daughter never ceased to please Sue-Ellen. She smiled broadly at the two of them as JR kissed and cuddled his baby daughter. As their eyes met JR took her in. She was wearing a simple black wrap dress which accentuated the swell of her breasts, a feature of her first pregnancy that was very appealing to him and which was obviously being replicated in this one. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, curled strands falling prettily against her face. She looked healthier than she had done in ages which made him feel happy. He never failed to be struck by her beauty, he thought.

As she poured the champagne Sue-Ellen looked at him. He was wearing a suit, obviously new, of the darkest blue. Sue-Ellen always thought that he suited darker colours best. He was handsome, not in the classic sense, she thought, but in a strong and masculine way, his blue eyes shining as he interacted with his daughter. She didn't know why but his presence made her feel exhilarated yet apprehensive, just like he had made her feel when they were first dating.

As promised Sue-Ellen let JR get Ella ready for bed. He needed a little help to get her into her sleepsuit but otherwise managed just fine. "I guess I'm a little out of practice" he commented as he allowed his wife to do up the poppers on the inside of the legs. They then put her into her cot together, Sue-Ellen leaving the nursery first so that the last person Ella would see before she went to sleep was her daddy. As he made to follow Sue-Ellen downstairs JR paused for a few seconds to peer into the master bedroom. The room had also been decorated and furnished with obvious care, he thought, as he took in the large bed that dominated the room. It wasn't an overly feminine room either, he mused. Perfect in fact for a young married couple, unless he was fooling himself.

"You have done very well with the house, Sue-Ellen" he commented as he went into the kitchen where she was dishing up the food. "It's really nice. Much nicer than I had imagined." Sue-Ellen looked up and smiled. "Thank you, JR" she replied. He didn't know why but suddenly he could imagine living there with her, Ella and the new baby and being perfectly happy. It was, as she had suggested, a haven from the rigours of his work life. He imagined himself coming home in the evenings to his gorgeous wife and two babies and being able to escape the pressures of Ewing Oil, being able to talk to her about ordinary, family-related things, their conversation never dominated by Jock and talk of business. He now felt oddly relaxed at the prospect of leaving Southfork and making a new start with his wife and children.

As they sat down to dinner the conversation started to flow, naturally, unforced and lovingly. "I've missed you both so much, Sue-Ellen. I know I made a royal mess of things and I'm constantly having to ask for your forgiveness but I promise I'll be better in the future" JR began. "I've missed you too, JR. It's been almost too much to bear. Seeing you at court and at the lawyers' offices was torture. We were both so angry and yet so sad" she replied. "I want to make it work this time, I truly do. I'm worried about the idea of us living somewhere other than Southfork, it's all I've ever known after all and my daddy won't be happy, but if that's what it takes then that's what I'm prepared to do." Sue-Ellen leant over and kissed him on the lips. "No rash decisions, OK? I still think, on balance, that we would be happier as a family living on our own, however let's just spend some time reconnecting and then we can work out where we want to be."

"I like the sound of reconnecting!" JR laughed, winking at her. "I've missed that as well but then I think you know that don't you?" Sue-Ellen nodded. The way she felt about him right now running upstairs to bed with him would be the easiest thing in the world to do but they needed to take things slowly. She stroked his thigh and kissed him again. "It will happen, not just yet though. We need to take our time, get it right?" JR nodded. He wanted her but he realised that a softer, more romantic approach was wiser and more appropriate.

After dinner they settled down on the sofa together. It didn't take long before they were kissing. JR couldn't afford to get too carried away so he resisted the urge to pull her in close for the passionate sort of encounter that was usually a prelude to sex. Instead, he kissed her softly and gently, his hands cupping her face. Leaving was the hardest part. "We can spend tomorrow evening together, if you like. Your parents and Lucy will want to spend the day with Ella but after that you can come back here" Sue-Ellen suggested as she observed JR's dejection. "Have you told your folks that we are trying to work things out?" "My mama knows and she's very pleased. I haven't told daddy yet. You know what he's like. He'd want us to run before we can walk. Sue-Ellen, I've had the best time this evening." As he went to walk out of the front door he turned and kissed her again. "I love you" were his parting words.

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	86. Chapter 87

JR was finding it difficult to manufacture excuses to Jock to mask the time he was spending with Sue-Ellen. "It's only a matter of time before your father cottons on" Miss Ellie commented one morning as she followed JR out to his car. "I know mama but things are going so well at the moment I'm scared that anything that disrupts the fine balance that we have achieved could ruin it." Miss Ellie gave her son a peck on the cheek. It was so good to see him in a happier and more positive frame of mind, she thought. However, her husband was beginning to ask questions about where and with whom he was spending time and Miss Ellie worried that he was about to have it out with him.

Sue-Ellen had informed her mother about the house move. The news was not welcomed, a fact that Sue-Ellen had anticipated. However, when Patricia was also told that Sue-Ellen and JR were trying to work things out her response was rather more measured. "You're doing the right thing, dear. There's no point throwing a marriage away unless absolutely necessary" she told her "especially to someone like JR." Sue-Ellen tactfully agreed with her mother, deliberately omitting to mention the discussion that was ongoing about them quitting Southfork. Something told her that wouldn't find favour with her mother who had always enjoyed boasting about her daughter's life at Southfork.

JR was late arriving at the house. Every meeting he had that day had over-run, much to his frustration. However, his lateness in leaving the office provided the excuse he needed to miss dinner at home. He would eat in town instead after he had cleared the decks for the day, he told his father, who was unsuspicious as it was clear that his son was drowning in paperwork.

He had a single red rose in his hand, a gesture, as Sue-Ellen had jokingly informed him that she couldn't cope with any more lavish bouquets. The house was full and she had run out of vases, she giggled when he last turned up with an over-the -top arrangement. Sue-Ellen let him in and immediately rushed into his arms for a kiss. She had missed him, like she did when they were together and he had to work late. She had also been afraid that he would cancel their date. She had something distinct in mind for the evening and had been preoccupied all day with it. Unbeknown to her so did JR.

JR gently broke the kiss and stepped back to look at her. She'd made an extra special effort, he thought, as he stared at the violet silk dress she had on, the colour enhancing her dark beauty. " I'm afraid Ella was exhausted and so has had to be put to bed, JR. You can go up and have a little peep at her though." JR nodded and made to go upstairs. As he did so Sue-Ellen called to him. "Are you hungry?" He was. He had skipped lunch to try to make up for lost time. "Starving" he replied.

When he came back down he was pleased to see that dinner had already been plated up. I could get used to this, he mused. The informality of the occasion was in marked but by no means unwelcome contrast to dinner at home, the set routine and formality of which was sometimes wearisome. To thank her for her perfect timing he kissed her on the cheek. "This is just what I need, honey. No lunch for me today. Too busy." Sue-Ellen smiled. Yes, it was old-fashioned but she enjoyed looking after her husband and, as she watched him eat what she had prepared hungrily and with obvious enjoyment, she felt content.

After the meal, when all the dishes had been cleared away, they settled on the sofa. Sue-Ellen wanted to kiss but JR needed to talk first. "Mama says that daddy is starting to ask questions about all the evenings that I'm spending away from home, Sue-Ellen. I need to give him an explanation." Sue-Ellen smiled. "Tell him the truth. You're with me. It's early days but things are beginning to pan out" she suggested. "I'm just afraid that he will then have a whole set of expectations that we can't or won't live up to. He is desperate to put the family back together, for mama's and Lucy's sake, as best he can. You know what's going to happen when he finds out, don't you?" Sue-Ellen nodded. She knew a lot about the way her father-in-law tended to function by now. "The truth is that I love being here with you and Ella. It's totally different from what I'm used to but it's great. I've been looking at a piece of land in the farthest reaches of the ranch. It isn't used for anything but would be a wonderful plot on which to build a house for the four of us. I think I'm gonna ask mama if I can buy it from her."

Sue-Ellen was thrilled. She threw her arms around him. "Oh JR! Are you sure?" She hadn't expected him to cave in anywhere nearly as quickly or, indeed, without a struggle. "I'm apprehensive about informing my parents but yes I am sure" he replied. "However, I want us to be together when we do it, so that my daddy can see that we present a united front on the issue." Sue-Ellen nodded but suddenly felt anxious. The last time she had seen Jock was at court and he had been very angry towards her. He was bound to blame her for JR's decision to leave Southfork permanently, she mused, however concluded that it had to happen, for the sake of their future happiness as a family.

She stood up and took his hand. "Come on." JR looked at her questioningly. "We are going to bed. And before you say anything we were always going to bed tonight. I want you. This has nothing to do with what you've just said." JR needed no persuasion. He followed her up the stairs, patting her bottom as she went up before him.

Pulling at each other's clothes they fell back onto the bed together, kissing deeply and passionately. JR tugged Sue-Ellen's dress off over her head and quickly removed her bra and panties. Sue-Ellen undid his belt and flies at which JR stood up rapidly and took off his pants. He was already hard she noticed but she reckoned she could make him harder still. She pulled him towards her by grasping his buttocks and began to suck and lick him. "Oh Sue-Ellen, God that is so good" he moaned as she managed to take all of him in, grazing him ever so gently with her teeth. JR quickly pulled out. Any more and he was going to come. He did not want that yet. Pushing her back on the bed it was his turn to pleasure her with his tongue. He alternated hard strokes of his tongue over her clitoris with the merest of flutters, causing her to arch her back and cry out. Her pleasure was a massive turn on. He needed to be inside her. Moving her up the bed he got on top of her, showering her with kisses. Instinctively she opened her legs for him. "Do it to me, JR. I want you so much" she whispered. As he was about to enter her the telephone suddenly rang. Sue-Ellen turned her head towards the bedside cabinet. "Leave it darlin'. Whoever it is can wait but I can't. It's been so long. I need you, sugar." At that he impaled her causing her to moan loudly. As he began thrusting in and out of her, increasing his speed and depth in response to her tightening around him, the telephone continued to ring.

Realising that it wasn't going to stop, JR withdrew. He was annoyed and frustrated by the caller's awful timing. Sue-Ellen rolled over and answered the call. "Hello? Miss Ellie? Yes, he's here. Hold on a moment please." She passed the phone to JR looking quizzically at him at the same time. "Yes mama, what is it?" After several seconds he sat bolt upright. "I'll be back in half an hour" he responded placing the receiver back down. "What is it, JR" Sue-Ellen asked. Her husband looked shocked. "It's Bobby. He's back, with his wife, Pamela Barnes, and all hell is breaking loose at home. Darlin', I'm sorry. I have to go."

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	87. Chapter 88

Sue-Ellen watched JR get dressed. No words were exchanged between them. When JR was done Sue-Ellen got up and pulled on a robe. She followed him downstairs and unlocked the front door. JR paused as he got to the door, pulled his wife to him and kissed her gently on the lips. "This changes nothing between us, darlin'. You do know that don't you?" he asked. Sue-Ellen nodded. She didn't intend to say anything, at least not now, but Bobby's return had unsettled her and she was worried. She had seen at first-hand how irrational her husband could be where his youngest brother was concerned. If only Jock and Miss Ellie hadn't treated JR less favourably than his younger brothers, she thought as she returned his kiss. "Can I see you tomorrow? Pick up from where we left off?" he asked as he left the house. "Yes, see you then. JR? Please take care about what you say and do tonight." He nodded, got into his car and accelerated quickly away from the house.

As he pulled up on the driveway of Southfork JR spotted Bobby's car. Getting out of his own car he noted a figure sitting in the front passenger seat. Pamela Barnes, Bobby's new wife, he thought. At least she hadn't got over the threshold, yet, he mused. As he passed the car he peered through the window and glared at the occupant. The young woman was pretty for sure but she was a Barnes and the thought of her living at Southfork, taking the Ewing name and, God forbid, contaminating the Ewing bloodline with her offspring made him want to vomit.

JR walked into the house and turned right into the living room, the sound of raised, angry voices guiding his way. Lucy was the first person he saw. She was sitting in her pyjamas at the end of the sofa nearest the entrance to the room. She wasn't crying but she looked upset and anxious as she observed her grandparents and uncle. Jock was pacing the length and breadth of the room. Bobby remained still, his mother moving her position from time to time to ensure that she was between the two men.

JR's presence stopped Jock in his tracks. "Where the hell have you been, JR?" he thundered. "You're almost as feckless as your brother!" JR remained calm. "I have been with my wife, daddy, I thought that would please you." Jock turned away. At least one son was doing what was expected of him, he thought. He started again on Bobby. "So where did the marriage take place?" he demanded. "Why do you want to know?" Bobby replied. "Because tomorrow I'm going to contact Harve Smithfield for advice about an annulment! That's why, Bobby. No son of mine will ever be married to a member of that family!"

Bobby turned away. "Mama?" he pleaded. Miss Ellie made to speak but before she could do so Jock quickly spun his son back around by the shoulder so as to face him again. "Don't involve your mother in this! She has been worried sick about you and you haven't even had the decency to let her know that you were alright. She's as disappointed as me by your behaviour! I'm asking you one more time. Where did this so-called wedding take place?"

JR remained quiet. He would have his say after his daddy had finished. "We were married in New Orleans!" Bobby responded, almost shrieking in defiance. "There's nothing you can do about it. It is perfectly lawful and valid. Forget talk of annulment. Pamela is the woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with!"

"Not while there is breath in my body!" Jock exclaimed. "Tell you what, Bobby? Where are you going to live? Work? I'll cut you off so that the pair of you have nothing, trust me." JR saw his opportunity to intervene now that the topic of business was being brought up. "Bobby, daddy's right. How can you be involved in the running of Ewing Oil now? You will be tainted by your association with that woman and her family. You didn't seriously expect to be welcomed back into the fold like the prodigal son, did you?"

"Butt out! You're not entitled to an opinion, JR, not after everything you've done" Bobby countered. "We came back because of Cliff's trial and we all know who set him up for that don't we?" "I haven't the faintest idea, little brother. From the newspaper reports it looks very much like Cliff did it all by himself." Bobby lunged at JR who just managed to avoid contact with his fist.

"Stop! Right now!" Miss Ellie placed herself between her two boys. "That's enough, all of you! Ask Pamela to come in, Bobby." "What?" Jock and JR replied simultaneously. "This is my house, my ranch. Our son is home and he has his wife with him, whether you like it or not. I won't lose Bobby, not now. There have been times recently when I thought we would never see him again. Believe me, if either of you drive him away I shall never forgive you."

Bobby left the house returning seconds later with his young bride. Miss Ellie shot stern warning glances at her husband and elder son and approached Pamela with an outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you, Pamela. Southfork is Bobby's home and now it is yours too." Pamela shook Miss Ellie's hand hesitantly. Her new mother-in-law might mean what she had just said but the raised voices she had heard whilst sitting in the car and the body language of her father-in-law and JR, the man that she believed had been responsible for Cliff's downfall, a man she loathed and regarded as her enemy, told a different story.

"Now it's late. I suggest we all go to bed. Bobby, show Pamela to your room. Lucy, dear, go to bed, please. I'll be up in a moment." Miss Ellie announced. She was exhausted by the evening's drama. As the young couple and girl climbed the stairs Jock attempted to speak. "No Jock" Miss Ellie announced "enough has been said tonight. I'm going to bed. However, before I do the two of you should know that I shall regard any attempt to interfere in Bobby's marriage very seriously. Jock, if you want to carry on being married to me you will keep what I've just said at the forefront of your mind. As for you, JR, I should have thought that you had learnt your lesson by now. Your plotting and scheming has almost cost you your marriage. I'd concentrate on putting that right for now. Understand?"

The two men nodded meekly. Inside, however, they were both seething.

Tbc

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	88. Chapter 89

JR spent a restless night at Southfork. How could his mama welcome that Barnes woman into our home? He fumed. His only comfort was thinking about a new life with Sue-Ellen and his children away from the ranch, in their own house, where he wouldn't have to face Bobby or his wife over the dinner table. Their return had only strengthened his resolve to get a place of their own. In the meantime he was going to spend as much time as possible at Sue-Ellen's rented house and he would make it abundantly clear to his parents why he was doing so.

His thoughts then wandered to Ewing Oil. Surely his daddy wouldn't allow Bobby to swan back in as if nothing had ever happened? However, as much as it was inconceivable to JR that this might occur, he had to acknowledge that Jock had a weak spot where his brother was concerned and therefore it had to be a distinct possibility.

He came down to breakfast to be greeted by the sight of his mama, Lucy, Bobby and Pamela sitting at the table. They were chatting as if all was perfectly normal. JR gave Pamela the filthiest look as he approached the buffet. He downed a glass of juice and took a slice of buttered toast and exited the room. There was no way that he was going to sit down with that pair, he thought.

Miss Ellie called out to him. "Will you be home for dinner, JR?" No way, he thought. "No mama I'll be spending the night with Sue-Ellen. She's the only company I want to keep these days" he replied gruffly. Bobby sighed and patted his wife's hand. "It won't always be like this, Pam. He and daddy will calm down eventually" he reassured her. Pamela looked doubtful but didn't respond. "When did they reconcile, JR and Sue-Ellen?" Bobby asked. "It's very recent" Miss Ellie replied. "At one point there was a divorce and custody battle looming. It was all very worrying." "Yes we heard about it. I guess it's a good thing that they're back together, provided he behaves himself this time." His mother nodded and sipped her coffee. How ironic, she thought. I have one son back but the other, together with his wife and child, don't want to be here.

Despite his ire JR had a productive day at the office. Something told him that he needed to step up his game at work and prove to his father that he was the only worthy successor to the Presidency of Ewing Oil. His father was absent, spending a day at the refinery site with the architects and building company. The necessity to inform his parents about his intention to have a house of his own with his wife weighed heavily on JR's mind. It would have to be done soon, he mused. He had promised Sue-Ellen and, more than ever now, he wanted it himself.

At 6pm he downed tools and left the office. The best part of the day was about to start. He would spend a little time with his baby daughter and the rest of the evening and overnight with his wife. For the first time since they had been seeing each other again he had nothing for her. The chance to go out and get something simply hadn't arisen that day. He felt a little bad but contented himself with the thought that Sue-Ellen loved him, not his gifts or money.

Sue-Ellen was pleased and also a little relieved to see him standing on her doorstep, apparently unharmed. She too had little sleep wondering whether Bobby had used his fists to get his point across. As they spent time with Ella before the little girl's bedtime he explained what had happened when he had returned to Southfork last night. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "More conflict, JR. I'm glad to be out of it. You know it isn't really the right environment in which to bring up our children or to cement our relationship." "I agree" he replied. He meant it. Whilst he didn't have the hugest amount of time for his niece, Lucy, and her bratty ways he had to admit that the upset that had been caused to the young girl recently was very regrettable. He never wanted to see his own daughter distressed by conflict in her family like Lucy had been, he thought. The same applied to Sue-Ellen, the events of the night that she left came flooding back and made him shudder.

"I'd like you and Ella to come to Southfork with me on Saturday. I want you there when I make mama the offer for the plot of land. Sue-Ellen, I want my parents to realise that we are totally committed to this. Alright?" Sue-Ellen kissed him. "You are sure aren't you? I mean, now that Bobby is back." JR looked at her questioningly. "Why does that make any difference, honey?" "Well, you know, your, our place in the family. The way that Bobby always seems to be able to win your daddy over. If you and I and our children are absent might it weaken your position?"

"I don't care, Sue-Ellen. I'm the only rightful successor to daddy at Ewing Oil and he knows that only too well. He might favour Bobby as a son but he knows that I'm the only safe pair of hands to take over from him at the company. Plus, I have you, not a Barnes as my wife, and we have a daughter and another child on the way. That all has to count for something in his eyes, surely?"

"Alright. I love you. Now what about dinner?" "Yes I'm starving. Thank you. Let's make it quick though. We have other things to do."

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	89. Chapter 90

JR woke up in unfamiliar yet comfortable territory. He smiled at the recall of what had happened the night before. He and Sue-Ellen had cemented their reconciliation with the most passionate of physical encounters. As he turned to face his wife he realised that she too was awake. "Good morning darlin'" he greeted her. "That was the best night's sleep I've had in ages." "I'm not surprised given last night's exertions!" Sue-Ellen giggled in response. "Well there was that but actually I meant just being with you, here, away from all that is happening at Southfork. Sue-Ellen, I love you."

He pulled her towards him for a kiss. The easy way in which she submitted to him was arousing however, before he could act on his desire, they heard their baby cry out. Ella was awake and needed to be attended to. "She has impeccable timing" Sue-Ellen joked, getting out of bed and putting on her robe. JR followed her into the nursery. He might have been a tad frustrated about the interruption to his intended early morning pleasure but the sight of his little girl never ceased to make him happy. Sue-Ellen lifted the baby from her cot and handed her to her daddy. "Every day she looks more and more like you" JR commented as he kissed and cuddled his daughter. "She is going to be very beautiful, like her mama, when she grows up." Sue-Ellen patted her stomach. "I really hope that this one will be a boy, JR, as handsome and smart as his daddy."

With all the drama that had surrounded them of late JR had genuinely given no thought to the gender of his unborn child. His focus had been on what he already had, namely Sue-Ellen and Ella. "Honey, a boy would be great but so would another girl" he replied. Sue-Ellen looked at him doubtfully. "I mean it! We made both of these babies with our love. I don't care whether it's a boy or a girl."

"You say that now. However, if your brother and his new wife beat us to it by producing a son you do realise that it could affect the future ownership of Ewing Oil?" she asked. "Oh Sue-Ellen, that marriage doesn't stand a chance. Daddy opposes it and so do I. Bobby behaves like a naive teenager. Love conquers all. It's nonsense. There's no way that a child who is part Barnes will take over Ewing Oil, trust me. Anyway what's to say that in the future a young woman couldn't take over?" "Wow! That's very progressive thinking, my love." "Not really. My eyes were opened when I saw how your attorney ran rings around mine. She is one savvy lady. You chose her well." Sue-Ellen smiled. She wasn't going to tell JR that it was her obstetrician who had sent her in the direction of Madeleine Storey.

At that they took their daughter downstairs. She was becoming impatient for her feed. Once Ella was fed and changed Sue-Ellen set to work on her husband's breakfast. As she stood at the stove JR approached her and placed his hands around her waist. He kissed the nape of her neck and inhaled the scent of her hair. "I don't want to leave, darlin. I just feel so happy with you both here" he commented as she plated up his eggs. "You can stay here as much as you want, you do know that?" JR nodded as he took the plate from her and began to eat.

The domestic harmony that prevailed at Sue-Ellen's house was not replicated at Southfork. As the family gathered for breakfast the atmosphere was tense. Jock was present and was obviously not in a good mood. He took the newspaper from Teresa and buried his head in it as he ate. Miss Ellie watched Bobby and Pam select their food and sit down. "What does the day hold for the pair of you?" she asked as her son and daughter-in-law took their seats. "We're going riding mama and then afterwards into town" Bobby replied, omitting to mention that they were planning to meet Cliff and his lawyer. Jock sighed. "That's all very well but what are your long term plans son? This extended honeymoon can't go on forever you know" he grumbled. "Your brother and I are working very hard at the moment. The refinery is being built and we have several deals on the go. Aren't you interested in the company anymore?"

Bobby shook his head. "It's not that daddy. I am keen to come back to work, if I can. However, JR made it pretty clear the other night that I'm not welcome." Pam glanced at her husband. Neither of them had really thought things through in their haste to be married and Bobby's return to Ewing Oil just hadn't figured in her thinking. She was by no means sure that she wanted him back in that environment with his treacherous older brother and ruthless father.

"Leave JR to me, Bobby. I take it that he's been with Sue-Ellen overnight?" Jock responded. Miss Ellie nodded. "He said that he's bringing Sue-Ellen and Ella here on Saturday. I can't wait to see her and that lovely little baby." "Why aren't they back here full time yet?" Jock asked. He was irritated by Sue-Ellen's apparent stubbornness concerning the issue and didn't stop for a second to consider that his son might also have a view about staying away from Southfork. "The separation was very traumatic for the pair of them, Jock. These things can't be rushed" his wife advised. "The main thing is that they are back together. Now, I must hurry Lucy along. She's going to be late for school at this rate."

After Miss Ellie had gone silence descended on the dining room. Pam didn't dare to speak but she was worried by the exchange between Bobby and his father concerning Ewing Oil. Bobby pondered on the return of Sue-Ellen to the ranch. He didn't know how he was going to feel. So much had occurred between them, things that he couldn't share with his wife, or anyone else for that matter. He also hated JR so much right now that he wished Sue-Ellen hadn't taken him back. He didn't deserve her or their children. He felt confused and conflicted whenever he thought about his sister-in-law even though he knew that he was deeply in love with Pam.

Jock stood up. "I'm going to work" he announced pointedly.

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	90. Chapter 91

As they neared Southfork Sue-Ellen felt nervous. Her husband seemed supremely confident though and, rather than settle her, it only made her more anxious. She suspected that it wasn't going to be as easy as JR thought to announce their permanent departure from Southfork to his parents. She also wondered what it would be like to see Bobby again, this time with his new wife, Pamela. The last occasion she had been with her brother-in-law he had been angry, as had she, with JR. She was no longer angry with her husband but, from the small amount JR had told her, Bobby's feelings remained unchanged.

She glanced back at Ella. She looked adorable in a pale pink dress and matching coat. Ella smiled at her mama and kicked her legs. Sue-Ellen smiled widely back at her baby. There was once a time when on a journey such as this she would have told Ella that they were almost home. It made her feel sad that this was no longer the case however, given the way things had been since JR had virtually moved in with her at the townhouse, she knew that they had made the right decision. In any case, if they could acquire the piece of land that JR had been talking about, their new home would in reality remain part of Southfork Ranch.

As they drew up on the driveway Lucy came running out to greet them. "Hey Sue-Ellen! I'm so glad that you are here! I've missed you and Ella" she shrieked. "We've missed you too, Lucy. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch but things have been a little hectic." Lucy shrugged her shoulders and smiled. She was just happy to see her aunt and cousin again and was desperate to know when they would be moving back home properly. As JR took Ella out of the car they were joined by his parents. Miss Ellie kissed Sue-Ellen on the cheek and gave her a warm hug. This served to make her even more worried as to what they might face. "Sue-Ellen" Jock interjected "it's good to see you both back, where you belong." Sue-Ellen thanked her father-in-law politely and then glanced at JR worriedly. JR discreetly touched her hand as a reassuring gesture.

"Bobby and Pam are inside" Miss Ellie announced. "Come in and I'll introduce you to your new sister-in-law, Sue-Ellen." This was going to be very awkward the young woman thought as she followed her mother-in-law inside. JR hung back deliberately. "Daddy, what are you going to do about that woman?" he asked. "There's nothing I can do, JR. I've spoken to Harve. I don't want her here anymore than you do however your mama is insistent. We just have to hope that the divide between us and her family proves to be fatal to the marriage" Jock replied.

As she entered the lounge and observed the young couple sitting together on the couch Sue-Ellen was struck by Pam's pretty features and glossy long hair. As they stood up to welcome her she noted that Pam was petite yet buxom. They made a very attractive couple, she mused. Bobby reached out to her first, took her hand and kissed her on the cheek. "Sue-Ellen, it's good to see you. You look so much better than when I last saw you!" He looked pointedly at his older brother who had just entered the room, Ella in his arms. He wanted to needle JR. "This is my wife, Pamela." Sue-Ellen held out her hand to the young woman and smiled weakly. "It's, er, good to meet you Pamela." She was conscious of being disloyal to JR but at the same time wasn't going to say anything that might reflect poorly on her manners. JR tutted loudly as the two women shook hands. Sue-Ellen shot him a look as if to say "what do you expect me to do?"

"It's going to be so great!" Lucy exclaimed. "I've got two aunties now, a baby cousin and another one on the way!" Poor Lucy, Sue-Ellen thought, so desperate for a happy family and yet her hopes were about to be dashed. Miss Ellie took Ella from JR to show her to Pam. "Pam, this is Ella, your little niece. Ella, meet your aunty Pam." She made to pass the baby to Pamela but was immediately stopped by JR. "She's not my daughter's aunt, mama. She's nothing to my family" he growled. As Bobby was about to react Jock intervened. "Stop it! I'm not having an occasion like this ruined by you boys" he advised calmly but sternly.

"I agree. I know that feelings are running high but just for today please try to be civil both of you" Miss Ellie interjected. "Anyway it's time for lunch." As they walked into the dining room Sue-Ellen held JR back. "I can't do this" she told him "not today with the way things are." "Sue-Ellen we have to. I cannot tolerate being here with them. We have to make the announcement" he replied. More than ever JR was determined.

Sue-Ellen settled Ella in her bouncy chair where she could see both of her parents and took what had been her usual seat at the table next to JR. She pulled her chair over so that she could be as close to him as possible. JR patted her knee and kissed her cheek, a gesture that he realised would probably irritate his father who loathed public displays of affection, but he didn't care.

Lucy attempted to lighten the atmosphere by telling Sue-Ellen about what she had been doing at school. "There's a dance at the end of term, Sue-Ellen. Would you take me shopping for a dress please?" she asked. "Yes of course, Lucy, how exciting" Sue-Ellen replied. "I used to work at The Store" Pam commented. "I'd love to help, if I'm welcome?" Lucy nodded vigorously. If the young woman had any name other than Barnes she and I might have been able to be friends, Sue-Ellen pondered. They were similar in age and Pam appeared to have a warm and pleasant personality. They both also took an interest in fashion, that was clear.

JR had had enough of the small talk. The apparent ease with which his new sister-in-law was slotting herself into the family was massively annoying to him. He turned to his father and began to talk business. Bobby's recent absence from the company froze him out of any meaningful contribution to the conversation, a fact that gave JR a deep sense of enjoyment as it clearly irked his little brother. Bobby was therefore forced to feign an interest in the females' conversation instead.

When dessert was served JR cleared his throat and put his hand on Sue-Ellen's hand. "Mama, daddy, Sue-Ellen and I have something that we need to discuss with you." "Go on" Jock advised. He surmised that they were about to tell them when Sue-Ellen and Ella would be moving back in. He was in for a shock.

"Sue-Ellen and I are back together again, as you know, and the process has led to us considering the future, especially as we will be parents to two young children soon enough. We have decided that we need a home of our own in which to raise our family. We want…" Before he could continue Jock exploded. "What are you talking about JR? I've never heard such nonsense in my life. Ewings live here, at Southfork, not anywhere else!"

"Please, let me finish, sir." JR remained calm yet resolute. "You and mama have been very good to us and we are grateful. However, our minds are made up. It's not like we would be far away and we would be very regular visitors here and you can all visit us." Jock shook his head. "It's not going to happen" he responded. "Where do you have in mind?" Miss Ellie asked. She was disappointed but keen not to alienate her son and daughter-in-law especially not now when there was a grandchild and another one on the way to add into the equation. "Mama, I would like to make you an offer for an unused plot of land on the ranch. It would be perfect for us to build a house on." At that JR took a map out of his inside pocket and pointed to the plot in question. Miss Ellie studied it carefully.

"Ridiculous!" Jock shouted. "You aren't seriously considering this are you, Miss Ellie?" "Yes I am Jock. If this is what JR and Sue-Ellen feel will permanently heal their marriage, then so be it." "Unbelievable! You're the one behind this, Sue-Ellen, sitting there all quietly, letting JR do all the talking! Blackmailing my son by refusing to be back with him unless you can be mistress of your own home!" Sue-Ellen stood up. "Thank you, Miss Ellie, for agreeing to consider our request. Yes, Jock, you're right. It was my idea but I'm not forcing JR into anything. You see today is a fine example. When we are all together there's nothing but conflict. When JR and I are on our own there's none and that's the way we see our future, not like this" she responded coolly. JR was quietly impressed by her steely determination. "Sue-Ellen's right, daddy. She isn't forcing me. This is what we both want."

At that she walked round to Lucy who was beginning to become upset. "Lucy, honey, wherever your uncle and I are you will always be welcome to visit, stay even. Do you understand?" Lucy nodded. "I think it's time we left, JR. Miss Ellie, Jock, thank you for lunch. We don't intend to be strangers, that's if you will have us." "Of course we will" Miss Ellie replied. "JR, I will be in touch once I have spoken to my lawyer. About the land."

As Sue-Ellen and JR exited the house with Ella Bobby smiled to himself. Well, that development is surely going to diminish JR in daddy's eyes. It's time for me to try to get back to Ewing Oil, he plotted.

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	91. Chapter 92

Miss Ellie glowered at her husband. "We need to talk Jock, now, in the den." Jock rose from the table and followed her sighing exaggeratedly as he did so. Bobby smirked at Pam. He hoped that his mama would let JR and Sue-Ellen have that land to build a house on. Anything that disrupted the relationship his father and elder brother had and especially where Ewing Oil was concerned had to be a good thing in his eyes.

Jock sat down on the sofa. Miss Ellie remained standing. Jock knew her of old. It was a bad sign. "Do you never think Jock?" she began. "I mean really? Consider that night when Sue-Ellen and Bobby both left. Why on earth would that young woman want to come back to live here after all that happened then? She's right. The Ewing family is blighted by conflict. We always have been. Now, with Pamela living here, there is even more potential for trouble. You hate her, so does JR. He wouldn't even let her touch his baby today. Think about what it's going to be like when Cliff's trial starts as well? How can you imagine family life being harmonious when Pam's brother is being tried for blackmail and she believes that JR had something to do with it? I'm donating that land to them. The sooner they are settled in their own home the better as far as I'm concerned."

Jock was tempted to interrupt his wife's speech but decided against it. Once he was certain that she was done he gave his response. "I don't understand you, Ellie. I thought you wanted everyone here, at home, particularly the grandchildren. You were bitterly upset when Gary left and never really came to terms with it, yet where JR is concerned you seem almost relieved to see the back of him!"

"You are the one who doesn't understand" Miss Ellie retorted. "Have you forgotten how heartbroken and forlorn JR was when Sue-Ellen left? He almost lost her and his children for good but, by some minor miracle, has managed to talk her round. I'm as disappointed as you are that they don't wish to return here to live but this is surely the next best alternative? We have to be realistic about this." Her tone had transformed mid-speech from angry to sadly resigned, making Jock feel guilty. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I just wanted things to be like they used to be. All of us at the dinner table, together" he replied. Miss Ellie nodded as she returned her husband's embrace. "I know. There will still be plenty of times when we are all together, though. JR and Sue-Ellen have to be given the best chance of succeeding in their marriage. If he did ever lose her I dread to think what would happen to him."

Jock decided to let the debate go, at least for now. There were other ways that he could set about achieving what he wanted. He would have to hit JR where it hurt, over the company, he thought.

Despite maintaining her cool as she set her father-in-law straight their confrontation had unnerved Sue-Ellen and made her feel less confident about the plan to live somewhere else. She couldn't be sure but she perceived something in Bobby's expression when JR had made his announcement that verged on satisfaction. Alright, she knew that Bobby was still angry with JR for any number of reasons, however she hadn't imagined that it would go as far as not wanting them at Southfork at all. Her thoughts turned to Ewing Oil. "JR, do you think Bobby will return to Ewing Oil?" she asked as they entered the townhouse. "He might wish to but I can't see how it will be possible, not now he's married to that Barnes woman. Our company's private business would end up being shared with her and then you know what would happen. No, there's no room for risk of pillow talk about Ewing Oil between those two" he replied confidently and with conviction.

They walked upstairs together. Ella needed her afternoon nap. "I'm not sure. Your daddy is tolerating Pam's presence at the ranch already and you know how he feels about Bobby. JR, I'm worried. I don't want the matter of where we live to harm your long term prospects." "It won't, sugar, trust me. Daddy will calm down eventually and come to accept that this is the right decision for us." When Ella was settled in her cot JR took hold of Sue-Ellen's hand. "Come on, honey, let's go for a lie down." He then chuckled. "Hey? We don't have to use that coded language anymore do we? We can call it what we like, as long as Ella is little and doesn't understand what we're saying that is! I'm taking you to bed, Sue-Ellen. I want you and I need you, right now." Sue-Ellen smiled and allowed him to lead her into the bedroom.

As JR and Sue-Ellen began to enjoy themselves a very different tableau was being played out in his youngest brother's bedroom back at Southfork. "I'm never going to be accepted here, no matter what I do" Pam sighed. "Sue-Ellen has the right idea, insisting that she and her children live elsewhere. Bobby, why can't we do that?"

"Because it isn't in our interests, Pam. We need to be here and I need to be back at Ewing Oil very soon. It's my right. Daddy didn't build the company just for JR, you know. I'll let you in on a secret. I may have a long way to go yet but I'm determined. I will be the President of Ewing Oil when daddy retires, not JR." Pam sighed again. She wanted revenge for her brother but she was by no means sure that she wanted to be embroiled in a war over Ewing Oil between her husband and JR. She knew only too well how ruthless the latter could be when he wanted to. She was beginning to wonder what she had let herself in for when she fell for and married Bobby Ewing.

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	92. Chapter 93

JR marched into Jock's office without knocking first. He was furious. "Daddy! What's he doing back here?" he shouted. Jock stood up so that he and his son were on an equal footing. He had been expecting this. "If you had managed to make it into the office on time I could have explained" Jock replied angrily, looking up at the clock pointedly as he did so. It was 9.25am and JR was uncharacteristically late. "However, it seems increasingly the case these days that playing house with Sue-Ellen comes before business or anything else for that matter."

"Not fair, sir. Sue-Ellen was very sick this morning and I had to care for her and Ella until she was feeling better" JR responded. "Or do you not want our second child to come safely into the world?" JR was obviously indignant.

Jock shook his head. He had made a crass and insensitive comment that he secretly regretted but was not going to confess to. "Fact is that if Sue-Ellen and Ella had been at Southfork, where they belong, there would have been plenty of people to look after them and you would have been here on time" he retorted.

"Let's not engage in this silly little diversion for a second longer, sir. Now I asked you a question and I think I deserve an answer." JR realised that his father may regard him as insolent but right at that moment he didn't care. Jock shrugged his shoulders. "Bobby asked to return to the company last night and I said yes. It's as much his birth right as yours, JR."

"I would have agreed with you before he married a Barnes. However, we have to look at the likely consequences of such a damn foolish move on his part. I mean come on, daddy. He's going to be spilling all our private business to her. She's a Barnes which means she can't be trusted."

Jock pondered on what his son had said for several seconds. "How much do you tell Sue-Ellen then? About what happens here?" Jock banked on the fact that it would be next to nothing. "Sue-Ellen and I do speak in private about what I do at work" JR replied. He was calling his father's bluff as the truth was that Sue-Ellen had made it abundantly clear that, unless it affected them as a couple or was a source of worry for her husband that he wished to offload to her, she really didn't want to know what goes on at Ewing Oil, particularly now that they were living on their own. "The difference is that Sue-Ellen isn't a Barnes and I trust her implicitly. Then there's the dinner table conversations about work that are a regular feature of life back at Southfork that you need to think about. Do you want her listening in to all that you and Bobby have to say at those times?"

"Pam's not interested in Ewing Oil. You're being paranoid, JR. You heard her the other day. She used to work in a department store for goodness sake!" Jock countered. "Ewing wives know their place. They are there to look after their husbands, in the kitchen and the bedroom, and raise the children. They are richly rewarded for doing so and completely appreciate where their privileges come from. Pam's no different. She knows full well what being married to Bobby entails." Game, set and match, thought Jock. However, his son wasn't finished yet.

"Then there's the tiny matter of her brother's forthcoming trial. Cliff's going down. Nothing can save him. That's one hell of a strong motive for Pam to betray us. In fact, I bet that's why she married Bobby in the first place!" Jock shook his head. "This is ridiculous! They were seeing each other before Cliff's arrest, only we didn't know about it, that is except for your wife. If Pam wanted to embark on some form of espionage to avenge her brother she could have carried on sleeping with Bobby. She didn't need to marry him."

JR sighed with exasperation. "So that's it? He's back as if nothing ever happened?" "Yes he is. His continuing education in how to run the business is important to me. When I give up I want to see the pair of you standing side by side here at Ewing Oil, carrying on all that we've achieved, for the sake of your children and his." His father's words about Bobby having children were cutting. He and Sue-Ellen were already well ahead of the game where that was concerned but he wondered how long it would be before he and the Barnes woman started to procreate? Given Bobby's obvious ambition to inveigle himself back into the company it wouldn't surprise him if he wasn't already trying to get his wife pregnant to start to even up the score. God, it suddenly occurred to him that Sue-Ellen was right. There was a lot riding on the sex of their second child. It just has to be a boy, he prayed.

"Very well. I hope this all works out, daddy, I truly do. However, if it doesn't, and I predict it won't, don't say that I didn't try to warn you." At that JR turned on his heels and left the office, almost bumping into Bobby as he did so. "Good morning, JR" Bobby greeted him obsequiously. JR was tempted to knock the smug smile off his brother's face. "Good morning, Bobby. Good to have you back" he lied. He didn't want him to be aware of just how disappointing it was that their father had simply let him walk back into the company without a bye or leave. However, Bobby had heard the raised voices emanating from Jock's office and he knew there was only one explanation for their argument. Him.

When JR arrived at Sue-Ellen's house that evening he was still riled. As soon as she answered the door to him Sue-Ellen knew. "Bobby was back at Ewing Oil today, wasn't he?" JR nodded, kissed his wife on the cheek and entered. As he poured himself a well-deserved drink he summarised his argument with Jock, deliberately omitting the comment that was made about them "playing house", which he knew would be likely to upset her. Sue-Ellen giggled when he got to the part where Jock described the role of the Ewing wives. "I bet he's never said that to Miss Ellie!" she joked.

Their discussion was interrupted by Ella who had become restless for attention from her parents. JR's mood brightened temporarily as he sat giving his baby her last feed before being put down for the night. He couldn't fail to feel happy as his baby lay in his arms, her big, blue eyes looking up at him.

Over dinner they resumed their conversation. "What are you going to do then?" Sue-Ellen asked. JR shook his head "I don't know yet, darlin, but it's going to have to be good" he responded. Sue-Ellen stroked his hand. "You'll think of something, I'm sure." "With you by my side, I will, honey. Don't worry." As he reassured her he gently touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. The electricity between them was palpable. Sue-Ellen stood up to clear away the dishes. As she did so she placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're very tense, my love" she commented. JR nodded. "Shall we go up in a moment and see if I can do anything to relieve you?" JR required no persuasion. He rose to his feet and took her hand. "Leave these 'til tomorrow. I need you, now" he replied, loosening his tie. Whatever he was going to do about his pest of a younger brother could wait until the morning.

Tbc

 **Author's note: happy May Bank Holiday. Thank you for all the recent reviews and ideas : )**


	93. Chapter 94

JR swivelled in his chair to face the window. His brain didn't want to concentrate on work today even though he had a massive amount to get done. He thought about his personal life and the immense progress that had been made by him in recent times. In the last few weeks he had settled into a routine of family life that he found to be both comforting and happy. He adored coming home to his wife and daughter in the evenings. Their home was a sanctuary in which all the problems of the day seemed to dissolve and not really matter anymore. Sue-Ellen was attentive to all his needs, particularly physical, and disagreements between them were minor in nature and thankfully rare. At his insistence they had employed an efficient housekeeper who provided valuable assistance to his wife around the home, permitting her to concentrate on the care of her baby and recuperate from the sickness that still blighted her, although not as badly as earlier on in her pregnancy.

Weekends were spent indulging in simple pleasures such as taking Ella out in her pushchair to the park, watching television and reading. Lucy had also been over to visit and, as promised, Sue-Ellen had taken her shopping for the new dress that they had spoken about.

The couple made sure to visit Southfork once every weekend so that Jock and Miss Ellie could spend time with their granddaughter. The atmosphere remained strained and, at times, JR and Pam would take a verbal swipe at each other. However, generally the adults had grown accustomed to reining in their feelings so as to behave in a polite and civil manner to one another for the sake of Lucy and Ella.

So, he pondered, if all is so great at home why is it not the same at work? The truth was that Bobby's return to Ewing Oil had disrupted the productive and harmonious dynamic that he and his father had established in his absence. Bobby seemed to go out of his way to disagree with JR's vision of the future of the company and, at least fifty per cent of the time, Jock sided with him. It irritated JR no end that his younger brother, who still had the most rudimentary understanding of the oil business, was allowed to undermine him in the way that he did.

JR concentrated on Bobby's weaknesses in the business and where they lay. The building of the refinery was new territory for all three of them and consequently they were heavily dependent on the advice and expertise of others. Bobby could hardly be blamed for lacking the requisite knowledge of the business in that area, he thought.

Suddenly inspiration hit him. Other than at social events Bobby had never had to deal with the Cartel yet. The members of the Cartel were a ruthless and mercenary bunch who required the most careful of handling and both Jock and JR had learnt over the years that doing business with them could be exceedingly tricky. Seth Stone and his wife, Marilee, who in reality was in control, were a formidable couple. They could turn on you as soon as look at you if they thought that was in their interests, JR thought. Jordan Lee went in whatever direction the wind happened to be blowing. If it suited his purposes he would go against the Ewings in competition for a profitable deal without hesitation. Andy Bradley and Punk Anderson were fundamentally decent and had a good relationship with the Ewings. However, when it came down to it, they were bound by the common aims of the Cartel to make as much money as possible and as easily as possible and they were easily cowed by Seth and Marilee.

That was it! JR had to engineer a situation in which Bobby would make a mess of a deal with the Cartel. Naturally he would then step in and save the day earning his daddy's gratitude but, more importantly, his realisation that there was only one credible successor to the Presidency of Ewing Oil. JR was inspired.

He went back mentally through the members of the Cartel once again, considering what motivated them and how they functioned. The key player would be Marilee. Unbeknown to Sue-Ellen, JR and Marilee had something of a history. Before he met his wife JR would, from time to time, take Marilee to bed to keep her on side. She was voracious in her sexual appetite, almost masculine in the way that she set about having her physical needs met. Sex with her was nothing like it was with Sue-Ellen and JR had steered very clear of the woman, whilst remaining polite and charming, ever since.

He had to acknowledge that Bobby was a good looking young man, just the type that Marilee would go for if she could. What if they were found in some sort of compromising position together? Oh this just gets better, he smiled wickedly to himself. What if the plan that he was hatching involved not only Bobby's humiliation in business but trouble in his marriage as well?

At that he turned back to his desk. He had a few initial phone calls to make.

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	94. Chapter 95

By noon JR had precisely what he needed in terms of information to use in his quest to humiliate Bobby. A quick call to the Oil Barons' Club had resulted in the development that the members of the Cartel had made a reservation for lunch at 1pm on Friday. In response JR provisionally booked a table for two at 1.30pm. Meeting up with Marilee and the others had to appear to be coincidental, he schemed.

A further few calls later and JR had established that there were a couple of deals that the Cartel were currently interested in. He now had to figure out a way of getting Bobby involved, to his and Ewing Oil's detriment of course, and then how he might swoop in and rescue the situation.

He came out of his office and enquired of Phyllis whether his brother was in a meeting. Phyllis replied in the negative at which JR politely knocked on the door of his brother's office. Bobby called to him to come in. Looking up from a batch of paperwork that at that moment made absolutely no sense to him he was surprised to see that JR wore a friendly expression.

"Yes, JR. What is it?" he asked. "I've been thinking, Bob, that for the good of the company you and I have to resolve our differences and work together" JR began. Bobby raised an eyebrow. He was bemused by his brother's unexpected conciliatory offer. "I'm only prepared to speak to you if you promise me that you are prepared to lay off my wife in the future. If not, forget it" he replied brusquely. Bobby's intransigence where Pam was concerned had been predicted by JR. If he conceded too quickly he was likely to suspect that something was afoot.

"Bobby, you have to understand that this is not easy for me. You know how I feel about the Barnes family. Daddy brought me up to regard the entire family as my enemies" JR countered "and Cliff crossed me by going after Sue-Ellen. Am I expected simply to overlook the fact that your brother-in-law tried his level best to ruin my marriage?"

"Your response to that was devastating and disproportionate. Any other man would have punched Cliff, warned him to steer clear of Sue-Ellen and leave it there, but not you, JR." There was conviction behind Bobby's words. "I didn't make Barnes do anything that he didn't want to, Bobby. He's the one who committed the criminal offence, not me. He's the one who was stupid, not me" JR argued. "Well then there's really nothing more to be said, is there? Close the door behind you please. I must get on."

"Hang on just a minute, Bobby. What happened with Cliff is done. We can't turn the clock back. However, I am prepared to make a bit more effort with Pamela. Don't expect things between us to be fine overnight though. It's going to take time. It's also going to take some effort on her part." Bobby studied JR's face carefully. Did he mean what he was saying? he thought. He seemed sincere but then he had always had a talent for play-acting.

"Alright, I'll tell Pam that we need a fresh start. After all she's as much a part of our family now as any of us." Bobby's words irritated JR. That woman isn't entitled to be a Ewing, he thought, however he kept his feelings on that topic to himself. "Good" he replied. Nothing more needed to be said.

Bobby didn't really want to admit that he was struggling with the file that his father had handed him that morning and requested that he deal with. However, he hadn't got the faintest clue what some of the jargon in the documentation meant which made the task his daddy had set him impossible to fulfil. He decided, reluctantly, to ask for JR's help. JR smugly agreed. As he was taking his brother through the indemnity clauses in one of the draft contracts, he suddenly spied another document tucked behind a couple others on Bobby's desk. From what he could see it was a legal fee note. Bobby is bankrolling Cliff Barnes's defence attorney's fees, JR concluded. In normal circumstances he would have confronted his brother immediately about such an inane and inappropriate act on his part. This time, though, he decided to keep it to himself. He would use that little nugget of information against Bobby when required, he schemed. His father would obviously go mad if he knew that Ewing money was being used to fund Cliff's defence.

"So, do you feel comfortable with all that I've explained now?" JR asked as he closed the file. Bobby nodded and, almost as an afterthought, thanked him for his help. He had been so busy concentrating on the documents that were the topic of their discussion that he hadn't noticed JR's discreet interest in the fee note. Before he left JR issued the invitation to lunch on Friday. "1.30pm at the Oil Barons' Club. I'm buying, Bobby." Not wanting to offend his older brother and conscious of the tentative steps that had just been taken to patching up their relationship, Bobby accepted.

As he exited the office JR almost bumped into his mother. "Hello mama. What brings you here?" he asked. "I came to see you, JR" she responded, handing him a large brown envelope at the same time. JR held the door to his office open for his mama to enter and politely beckoned her to take a seat. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. "No thank you. You'd better open the envelope and see what it contains." Miss Ellie smiled at him.

JR did as he was told. Inside was a deed of conveyance from his mother to JR's and Sue-Ellen's joint names of the plot on Southfork that he had asked to buy. "It's my gift to you and Sue-Ellen. It's easily big enough for you to build a beautiful and comfortable family home on" she remarked. "Mama, thank you so much! I was prepared to pay for it though" JR exclaimed. "There's no need. It was my land and I can do with it just as I wish. As you said at the time it's not used and I can't think of a better purpose for it." JR got up and kissed his mother tenderly on the cheek. "Do you think Sue-Ellen and I are doing the right thing?" "Yes I do. You have to do whatever it takes to keep your marriage to Sue-Ellen happy and stable. Deep down your father accepts that" Miss Ellie reassured him. "Now I must leave you to work. I'm meeting Mavis for lunch." Kissing his mother once more JR bade her farewell and returned to his desk. What had started as an unpromising day was turning out to be rather eventful, he mused. He couldn't wait to tell Sue-Ellen the good news.

JR's came home that evening laden down with flowers, a bottle of champagne and the all-important envelope. "JR! I take it that something good has happened today?" she asked, smiling widely as she greeted him and accepted the flowers. As she went to fetch a vase JR caught hold of her arm gently. "Honey, wait. You need to see what's in here." He handed her the envelope. Seconds later he was spinning her around the kitchen in his arms, both of them delighted. "She just gave it to us!" JR laughed as they came to a standstill. "It's wonderful news, my love. What do we do now?" "We get the most talented architect in Dallas to design us a house! I want you to have full input into what we want and need, not just now but for our future" he replied. Sue-Ellen smiled again but appeared hesitant. "If we take these next steps there's really no going back is there? Are you sure that this is what you want?" "I've never been more sure of anything in my life" he replied happily.

He started kissing her, gently at first but then more passionately. Whilst continuing to kiss her he began undoing the buttons of her shirt. He wanted to touch her. Sue-Ellen knew where this was leading. "Not now, JR" she murmured as he nuzzled her neck "dinner's almost ready." "I'll be quick, I promise, please sugar. I need to" he whispered in reply. She attempted to break free but he was too strong for her. "Right here, darlin" he growled, bending her over the sofa. He adored the way that she submitted so easily to him. Seconds later he was inside her. He didn't often take her from behind and for a short moment he wondered why. She felt so good in this position. Panting in rhythm to his thrusts Sue-Ellen came. "That's it, sugar. I know what you like" he grunted before allowing himself to go into fleeting oblivion.

As they hastily re-arranged their clothing, giggling at what they had just done, JR reckoned it couldn't be possible to be any happier than he was right at that very minute.

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	95. Chapter 96

Miss Ellie watched her daughters-in-law. They were sitting outside at Southfork, Miss Ellie having invited Sue-Ellen over for lunch. Her motive was two-fold. She wanted the two young women to get to know and, hopefully, like each other. She also felt that Sue-Ellen, with her impeccable social graces and refinement, might be the right person to rub the "rough edges" off Pamela that were all too evident. Her second daughter-in-law had a sweet nature and good looks but she lacked her counterpart's poise, a fact that Jock had commented on during one of their regular bedtime conversations.

"I'm just going to check on lunch" Miss Ellie announced as she poured iced tea into their glasses. Her departure was tactical, designed to give Pamela and Sue-Ellen a chance to talk. Pam smiled warmly at Ella who was on her mother's knee, propped up in the crook of her arm into a semi-upright position. The little girl was inquisitive and enjoyed being able to look around. She returned the smile causing Pam and Sue-Ellen to giggle in delight. "Do you want to hold her?" Sue-Ellen asked. "Wouldn't JR be very mad if I did?" "Ella's as much my child as JR's and I will decide who does and doesn't hold her" Sue-Ellen responded firmly, passing her baby into Pam's now outstretched arms. "Anyway, Bobby adores his little niece. It's unrealistic to think that you can never be involved with her."

Pam emulated the way that she had seen Sue-Ellen hold Ella so that the little girl could see that her mama had not gone anywhere. It felt so good to have the little girl in her arms. She loved the smell of her and the feel of her chunky little body. She bent her head and kissed the child gently on the cheek. "Sue-Ellen, do you mind me asking you something?" "Depends what it is." Sue-Ellen was instinctively cautious about discussing anything too personal with her new sister-in-law whom she hadn't got to know properly yet.

"Well obviously you have this little angel and another one on the way" Pam began. "Were you under family pressure to have children so young?" Sue-Ellen smiled. She knew exactly where this conversation was going. "It was expected that JR and I would have a child as soon as possible after we were married" she stated in a matter of fact manner. "I knew from the day that he proposed that I would be under a duty to produce an heir, not that Jock made any secret of it. This one" she patted her tummy "wasn't planned. We didn't set out to have another baby anything like as quickly but it just happened." She interpreted Pam's expression. The young woman appeared anxious. "Has Jock said something?" Sue-Ellen asked. Pam nodded. "It started off with subtle hints over dinner, topics like how reassuring it was that you and JR were carrying on the Ewing bloodline, but now it's explicit and it makes me feel bad even though I know that Bobby and I have hardly been married for five minutes." She shook her head sadly.

"I've been there, trust me. It took a little longer than I thought it would to get pregnant with Ella and Jock certainly made his disappointment known, usually over the dinner table in full view of everyone else" Sue-Ellen advised. "Don't worry though. It will happen for you and Bobby, probably when you least expect it." "I'm not sure, Sue-Ellen. Something happened to me, medical in nature, when I was younger and I'm scared it may have affected my fertility."

"I'm not going to pry. However, my obstetrician is the best. If you wanted to be checked out for example." Pam accepted the proposal gratefully. She didn't know what Sue-Ellen saw in JR but, so far, her new sister-in-law seemed to be a kind and insightful soul. Their conversation was halted by the return of Miss Ellie. She was carrying a large tuna nicoise salad that looked incredibly appetising.

As the three women tucked into their lunch JR and Bobby were just arriving at the Oil Barons' Club for what the former had described as a reconciliatory lunch. Whenever the Ewing men were out in public it was de rigeur to display an impeccable appearance. Both men were wearing new suits, acquired from their usual tailors. JR was secretly pleased to see his younger brother looking most handsome in a light beige suit, crisp white shirt and toning Hermes tie. If he doesn't attract Marilee looking like that he never will, he schemed.

In accordance with the usual routine whenever they attended the club, JR and Bobby found themselves having to stop and talk to many of the biggest players in the industry before they could move through the bar and enter the main restaurant. After much back slapping and shaking of hands the hostess began to guide them to their table. JR looked over to his right. "Oh Bobby, look it's the Cartel. We'd better go over and have a few words" he suggested. "Yes you're right" Bobby replied innocently, permitting his brother to lead the way.

"Well hello! How are you all? Marilee, you look stunning as ever" JR schmoozed. Marilee was without her husband that day, a fact that JR regarded as perfect good fortune. "We are all well, JR, thank you. How's your daddy?" Jordan Lee kicked off the conversation in polite and extremely cordial terms. He was pleased to see the two Ewing boys at the club. The conversation that he and his partners had just been having concerned a deal that was slightly too big for them alone and Jordan and Punk had suggested approaching Ewing Oil to ascertain if they wanted to be cut in.

"He's just fine, thank you. Overloaded with work concerning the refinery though. We live in exciting times." As JR and the men of the Cartel continued their conversation Marilee stared at Bobby. Historically she had tended to overlook the younger Ewing brother in favour of the older. However, there was something sexy and dangerous about his recent exploits, she thought. JR had always been the dutiful and obsequious son. Who would have thought that Bobby would refuse to follow suit and rebel by running off and eloping with Digger Barnes' daughter?

She eyed Bobby up and down. He was handsome, just her type in her younger college years, she mused. If there was business to be done with the Ewings she wanted it to be Bobby that she dealt with this time. She had plans for the young man. "Well, if it isn't the prodigal son returned" she opened flirtatiously. She was gratified when Bobby returned a shy smile. "We were just talking about you. We might just have a lucrative business proposition to put to you. Why don't you join us?" Marvellous, JR thought. He gestured to the hostess to bring a couple of chairs. By then end of lunch the game would be on.

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	96. Chapter 97

JR discreetly positioned himself between Jordan and Andy, leaving the other chair that had been brought to the table for Bobby. The hostess couldn't have put the seat in a better place, sandwiched closely between Marilee and Punk, he thought. Marilee patted the empty chair and winked at Bobby. "Bit of a tight squeeze, Bobby, but I'm sure we'll manage."

The young man took his seat somewhat gingerly and ordered a drink. He imagined that he was going to need it. Marilee took the lead in describing the deal that was proving to be slightly more than the Cartel could handle. "Wainwright Oil are selling a number of fields. We have the backing from the bank for about 70% of them. The trouble is that Christopher Wainwright insists on selling them as one lot. I've been backwards and forwards with him over the issue but he won't budge."

"Wainwright can be stubborn when he wants to" JR commented "however, I'm not sure that we can help. Ewing Oil never shares its fields with any other investors. Sorry." Bobby looked at his brother. There was so much that he still didn't appreciate about the business. "I know that, JR. How it would work is that we buy all the fields together subject to a legal undertaking that a number of them are immediately transferred into the sole ownership of Ewing Oil" Marilee replied. "Hmm, alright, but what if we can't agree which fields should come to us?" JR was playing with her. He knew that every one of them were prime fields, only being offloaded by Wainwright to fund what JR felt was a dangerously over- ambitious plan to diversify into coal mining.

"You can look at the geological survey reports, JR" Punk interjected "they are all damn good fields. If you ask me Chris Wainwright has lost his mind in offering them for sale. Together we can make a whole load of money from this."

"That's what I like to hear!" Bobby exclaimed enthusiastically. Ewing Oil needed to generate greater profit now that the building of the refinery had started and closing this deal might also enable him to make his mark in the company, he thought. Marilee moved closer to him and placed her hand on his thigh beneath the tablecloth. "That's the spirit" she replied. "See JR? Your little brother gets it."

JR smiled. Things couldn't be falling into place any better. "Well then I suggest that you talk further to Bobby about this. If he's satisfied that there's a good deal to be had then I trust his judgment. Bobby?" Bobby had been taken aback by Marilee's advance but he reckoned he could handle her, particularly now that he was married. "Yes, JR, that's just fine. Shall I get my secretary to contact yours and set up a meeting? We need to get moving with this." The members of the Cartel nodded and smiled.

When the meal was over Marilee kept JR back, momentarily, on the pretext that she had a message about the DOA to pass to Sue-Ellen. "No offence, JR, but it's Bobby that I want to take the lead on this proposal." JR pretended to look surprised. "Alright, honey, I guess so. I'm overloaded as it is and I suppose this could represent very valuable experience for my little brother" he responded, feigning innocence. "It could be a really great experience for him, JR" Marilee replied. JR smirked at her "with you darlin it always is" and at that he took her hand, shook it and left.

Sue-Ellen was surprised yet happy to see that her husband was again in an elated mood when he arrived home. "I'm taking you out for dinner, honey, go and make yourself look extra pretty for me!" Sue-Ellen made to speak. There was one obvious complication to her husband's offer of a dinner date. "Now before you speak, it's all taken care of. Mrs. Chambers is going to stay here for a few extra hours and look after Ella. We won't be late. I've booked your favourite Italian restaurant." Sue-Ellen kissed him lightly on the lips and walked upstairs. It had been ages since they had been out to dinner by themselves and she was looking forward to it.

As they settled at their table at the restaurant Sue-Ellen began to tell JR about her day. "I take it she was there?" JR remarked with a degree of annoyance after she had informed him of her own lunch date. "Pam you mean? Yes, she was. Like it or not, JR, she's part of the family now. In any case I got on quite well with her. I can't be sure yet but my instinct is that she is a much more straightforward personality than her father and brother." "What did you talk about? You've nothing in common with her. You didn't talk about your involvement with Cliff did you" JR asked. "Certainly not! We had an interesting chat, in fact, about children. Jock is already putting pressure on her and Bobby to have a baby. She's going to see Dr. Scott." "Why? I thought ladies only saw her once they were already pregnant. She's not pregnant is she?" JR asked worriedly. Sue-Ellen giggled at her husband's innocence. "She's not pregnant. She's worried about her fertility. Dr. Scott doesn't just deliver babies you know."

JR shook his head. He didn't understand the range of Dr. Scott's professional services but he did appreciate one thing. If Bobby beat him to it by producing the first male grandchild for their daddy there would be one heck of a struggle for the ultimate control of Ewing Oil in the future. "My little brother's ambition seems to know no ends these days. I sincerely hope that tramp of a wife of his can't produce a male child before we do" he announced. Sue-Ellen nodded. "Yes, that topic has been on my mind all afternoon. I'm praying that this baby will be a boy. JR, what if it isn't though?"

JR stroked the back of her hand. "Look, if it's another girl how would you feel about us trying again? Not right away I mean but when we're settled in our new home and you are ready." "And if they beat us to it in the meantime?" "Then we just have to make sure that our boy is superior to theirs in every respect. That won't be overly difficult given that theirs will have fifty per cent Barnes blood flowing through his veins."

"Their son will have his home at Southfork, meaning constant contact with his grandparents" Sue-Ellen commented. "Ours will be living somewhere else. What if history repeats itself and Bobby's son becomes your daddy's favourite?" JR shrugged his shoulders. There was no easy answer that he could supply to his wife. Her appreciation of the dynamics of the family into which she had married was well-honed. "JR, these past weeks have been a bit like a dream, as is the idea of us building our own home, but the reality is that living away from Southfork could be to the detriment of all four of us. We need to think very carefully" she cautioned.

JR didn't want to admit it but he knew his young wife was right.

tbc


	97. Chapter 98

Dr. Scott took off her gloves and moved to the sink where she proceeded to wash her hands thoroughly. "It's fine to get dressed, Pamela" she advised her new patient, keeping her back turned for the sake of the young woman's privacy. "Take a seat, please, and I'll tell you what I found." Her expression told Pam that it wasn't going to be good news.

"When you first came in you told me that you had suffered chlamydia when you were 18 and it went untreated for a significant period of time. I'm sorry to have to tell you that I've found a lot of scar tissue in your womb, even from the most basic of internal examinations. The next step that I would recommend is exploratory surgery so that I can see exactly what we're going to be dealing with here."

Pam burst into tears. The doctor had expected this to be her response and offered her a tissue. "I hate him!" Pam spluttered through her tears. Dr. Scott waited for her to elaborate. "I was married, way too young, to a man who turned out to be not very nice at all. He was having affairs left, right and centre behind my back. He's the one who infected me and yet didn't have the decency to tell me, my husband of all people!" The last thing that Pam wanted was for the doctor to think that she had been promiscuous in her teenage years.

"It's a common scenario, Pamela. Let me guess, you went for a routine check- up and this came up in the blood test results?" Pam blew her nose before replying. "Yes, he was long gone by then, the bastard. Sorry! I didn't mean to swear." "It's fine. He sounds like a bastard so that's how we shall refer to him" the doctor reassured her. "How is this going to affect my chances of having a baby?" Pam asked. She sensed that the answer wasn't going to represent good news before it came.

"I'm going to be honest with you. Your fertility and ability to carry a child to full-term is highly likely to be adversely affected. I'm not saying it will be impossible but it definitely complicates matters. I really need to see what's going on with you in surgery to be able to help you properly, though." More tears. Dr. Scott wondered whether her new husband had any idea of his wife's condition. "If you haven't done so already I'd advise that you share this with your husband, particularly if he is hoping for a child to come along soon."

"Bobby knows I was married before and that the marriage was very short-lived. However, he doesn't know about the infection that I suffered and, yes, he's very keen for us to start a family. Oh God! How is his father going to react if he finds out that I might be infertile?" "Now don't go getting ahead of yourself. Your father-in-law needs to know nothing at this point. This is nobody's business but yours and your husband's."

"You don't understand the pressure that I'm under, doctor" Pam protested tearfully. "Yes I do. Your sister-in-law is also my patient. I've seen at first- hand how keen Mr. Ewing Senior was on expanding the clan where she has been concerned. It's called empire building but it fails to take into account how you young women actually feel about it." The doctor could have said more, like the fact that she was suspicious that JR had made Sue-Ellen pregnant again so quickly on purpose, but she decided not to.

Pam nodded sadly. "Sue-Ellen has had two rough pregnancies, as you know, but Jock doesn't care about that. It's the end result only that he's interested in. If you say I need surgery then of course I accept your recommendation but how would I square it with my in-laws without telling them the reason why I need to go into hospital?" she asked anxiously. "It's an exploratory operation only. You'll be in overnight, that's all. Could you not make up some sort of excuse? You and your husband going away for the night, perhaps?" the other woman suggested.

"I guess that would work" Pam replied. In truth she hadn't actually made up her mind to tell Bobby her bad news just yet. It was half in her contemplation to let him know only after Dr. Scott had formed a definitive opinion. "I'll be in touch. I need to book an operating theatre and contact my usual anaesthetist about his availability. You'll have a date within the next two weeks, though, that's for certain."

Pam stood up, shook the doctor's hand and thanked her. As she exited the building she suddenly felt all alone. Holding back the tears she got into her car and drove herself to the only person she felt she could turn to, her brother, Cliff. It took several rings of his bell and sharp, loud knocks to rouse him. When he came to the door he looked dreadful. "Uh, Pam, this is unexpected. What time is it?"

Pam walked past him into the condo where she broke down again in tears. "What's happened?" Cliff asked, placing his arm around his younger sister's shoulder as he guided her to the sofa. "Tell me! Is it that son of a bitch JR?" Pam shook her head and began to explain. "That's the situation that I'm in. JR and Sue-Ellen have a child and another on the way and it looks like Bobby and I may not be able to have any" she concluded.

"Daddy and I told you all along not to marry that loser" he replied. Pam shot him a glance. He wasn't being exactly helpful right at that moment. Cliff decided on a change of tack. "Look, little sister, Bobby seems the understanding type, unlike the rest of his family. Talk to him. You'll figure a way through this between you." Pam nodded. Cliff was right. Bobby wasn't going to love her any less because of this issue, she decided.

"How are you?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. "Hungover, broke and probably going to be imprisoned soon. In other words, just great" he responded sardonically. "Do you see a lot of Sue-Ellen?" he then enquired, attempting to appear casual. "Why do you ask?" "Because I was hoping to see her, just one last time before…. There is something I need to ask her. It's about certain events in the run-up to my arrest. I can't stop thinking about them." Pam shook her head. "It's not one of your better ideas, Cliff. In fact, it's a lousy one. There's no way that Sue-Ellen is going to agree to see you, not now after all that's happened." Cliff let the matter rest but Pam's interest in just exactly what had gone on between her brother and sister-in-law had been pricked.

tbc


	98. Chapter 99

On a glorious Saturday afternoon, early spring, the Ewing family were gathered on the terrace. Lucy and her friend Muriel were playing with Ella under the watchful eye of their elders. Pam observed JR's and Sue-Ellen's interactions with a pang of sadness and envy. They were obviously extremely happy together whereas, recently, she and Bobby had become increasingly distant. Her husband was becoming obsessed with work to the extent that he hadn't noticed the decline in his wife's mood. Pam still hadn't told him about her diagnosis and planned surgery. Every time she attempted to steel herself to tell him Bobby would interject with information about some new deal he was working on or what part of the running of Ewing Oil he had learnt about that day.

JR and Sue-Ellen stood up. "Mama, is it alright if we take a walk and leave Ella with you all?" JR asked. "Yes of course. She'll be just fine with us" his mother replied. In truth she loved to take charge of her little granddaughter whose cuteness and personality was growing by the day. It made her feel young again.

JR and Sue-Ellen took their usual walk, a circuit of the ranch that involved some of the prettiest scenery. As they moved away from immediate sight of the house JR took his wife's hand. Sue-Ellen loved it when he did that and she returned the gesture with a smile. "Daddy wants to speak to us later" JR began. "Us?" It wasn't like Jock to ever wish to discuss anything important with Sue-Ellen. "That's what he said." Realisation dawned upon her. "He's going to have one last ditch attempt to get us to come back here isn't he?" JR nodded. "That's the only topic I can think of. What are we going to say?"

Moving under the shade of a large, old tree JR helped Sue-Ellen to sit down. "When we went out for dinner the other night you made some very insightful comments about our children's position in the family and, ultimately, Ewing Oil if we live away from here in the longer term, Sue-Ellen. What you said has been preying on my mind. Please don't misunderstand me. The time that we have spent away from here has been the happiest of my life so far and I'm afraid that the pressure of living back here might disrupt that…" "But?" Sue-Ellen had reached her own internal conclusion that the time was rapidly approaching where a decision about their long term future had to be made and, on balance and although the thought scared her in many ways, she too had decided that for the sake of JR, Ella and her unborn child they would have to go back. "I think we should agree to come back and live here."

His wife nodded. "I agree but only on certain conditions, JR." JR stroked her cheek tenderly with the back of his hand and smiled. It was a smile of relief. "Anything, honey. Sue-Ellen, I am amazed that you love me enough to make this sacrifice" he replied. Taking her hands in his he leaned in to kiss her. It was a long, slow kiss of gratitude. As their lips came apart Sue-Ellen began to speak. "I want a different bedroom, further away from the rest of the family so that we can have greater privacy. I went upstairs just before to have a look and I know just which one would be right for us." JR nodded in agreement. He and Sue-Ellen had been enjoying an unbridled sex life at the townhouse and he certainly didn't want that to end just because they were returning here. "I want to spend more of our free time at the lake house as well. I don't think Miss Ellie would mind. We are always so happy when we go out there." "Yes, definitely" JR responded. The thought of spending regular weekends at his mother's lake house was irresistible given their experiences there in the past. "Finally, I don't really want to know what goes on at Ewing Oil unless it directly affects us as a family or it is something that you are so worried about that you need to share it with me." Sue-Ellen knew instinctively that JR was planning something that concerned his younger brother but she didn't want to become embroiled in it, not after all that had happened with Cliff. "I vow to you, Sue-Ellen, that I will never involve you in the things that sometimes I feel I have to do to protect the company. I just want to make you happy." He pulled her to him and kissed her again, this time more passionately, his hands roaming to touch her breasts over and then under her shirt. Sue-Ellen gently freed herself from his grasp and stood up. "Come on, let's get back and put your folks out of their agony. We can have some quiet time together when we return to the townhouse later" she suggested, winking and offering her hand to help him up.

The announcement that they were coming home was received happily and enthusiastically by Jock and Miss Ellie. Much back slapping and hugging accompanied the news. "We are all back together as a family and I couldn't be more delighted!" Miss Ellie commented as they all sat down for lunch. Bobby felt rather dejected although he was careful not to show it. Selfishly he had ruminated on the idea of him, Pam and their children taking over the ultimate occupation of Southfork. Now he had his older brother and his family to contend with once more.

Pam played with her lunch. The thought of JR and her living under the same roof was awful. She liked Sue-Ellen but felt threatened by her. Soon there would be hers and JR's two babies in residence at Southfork. If she couldn't have children it would be too much to bear to have someone else's around she mused sadly. Before dessert she stood up and excused herself from the table. "I'm sorry but I don't feel too good. I need to go and have a lie down." Sue-Ellen and JR glanced at each other. It was obvious that their news hadn't gone down well with their sister-in-law.

Bobby got up and followed his wife. "I'll just make sure that Pam is settled" he stated. By the time that they had reached their room Pam was in floods of tears. "Look Pam, I know that this is going to be difficult, all of us under the same roof, but there's nothing that we can do about it. We will all just have to try to get on as best we can" he suggested, offering his arms for a hug. "It's not just that!" Pam exclaimed. "Bobby, I've got something just awful to tell you."

Tbc

 **Sorry I haven't been updating very regularly this week. Busy with work**


	99. Chapter 100

Bobbly listened carefully to what his wife had to say, uncontrollable sobs from her punctuating the tale and making it all the harder to listen to. When she reached the recent, devastating diagnosis he pulled away from her physically. "I wish you had told me all of this before we were married" he stated flatly. Pam was shocked. "Why? What difference would it have made?" His expression spoke volumes. "Oh my God! If you'd known that I may not be able to have children you wouldn't have gone through with it would you?" she shrieked pummelling his chest with her fists. "You don't really love me then do you? I was 18 for goodness sake! I had no money to go to fancy doctors with. I just had to take the medication that I was prescribed and get on with life. Do you have no sympathy, Bobby?"

Bobby took hold of her firmly by both wrists, suspending her assault as he did. "Pam, look at me! I've had a shock and I'm upset. I do love you and I would have married you come what may. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean what I said. It's just such a blow. To both of us I mean." Pam put her head down and began crying again, prompting her husband to put his arms gently around her. "Look, we don't know what's going to happen yet. You have to have the exploratory surgery and then we do what Dr. Scott advises. She is excellent at what she does. How did you know to go to her?"

"Sue-Ellen recommended her to me" Pam replied. Bobby began to look irritated again. "What have you told her?" His mind was racing already to a place in which JR was aware that he might be the only Ewing son to provide their daddy with a male heir and he didn't like it. "Don't be angry Bobby, please. All I said was that something medical in nature had happened to me when I was younger and I was worried about my fertility" Pam responded. "If I hadn't said anything we'd be none the wiser about my difficulties right now and that would be much worse." "It's not Sue-Ellen, Pam. It's JR knowing our personal business that gets to me" Bobby replied angrily. "Maybe she hasn't told him." "It's possible but unlikely. After the incident on the night of Cliff's arrest Sue-Ellen is bound to be on message that keeping secrets from JR is dangerous." Bobby's mind wandered momentarily to the kiss that he and his sister-in-law had once shared. That was one major secret that both of them had managed to keep locked away from the rest of the family, he mused. "Perhaps she has kept it to herself. Now dry your eyes and lie down. You look exhausted. I do love you, Pam." He didn't want to torment her any further and decided that reassurance was the better approach. Covering her over with the quilt as she settled down on the bed Bobby ended their conversation with the words "I love you and we will be okay, no matter what, Pam."

As he descended the stairs, his mind a mass of confusion, he noticed that JR and Sue-Ellen were leaving. What a perfect family scene, he fumed. JR was holding Ella and passing her around for farewell kisses and Sue-Ellen, glowing and pretty with a neat but now distinct baby bump under her shirt, the mark of his brother's virility, was hugging Lucy and reassuring her that they would be moving back in very soon. Right at that moment Bobby hated JR.

Pulling himself together he joined the others and made a decent display of fraternal friendliness. "How's Pam?" JR asked pointedly. "Oh she will be fine after a rest" he replied, wondering whether JR's comment was directed only at his wife's obvious hatred of him or the other, much more important, issue that now plagued her. If he did know, JR wasn't giving the game away. "Bob, I am prepared to make an effort with Pamela, for all our sakes. Please will you let her know that?" JR was being mischievous. As expected the comment was met with the complete approval of the assembled company, his parents in particular. How is it that JR always seems to come out on top? Bobby seethed as he nodded his head in assent to his older brother.

Several hours later, when Ella had been settled down for the night and the dinner dishes had been cleared, Sue-Ellen tried to begin a discussion about the practical arrangements for their return to Southfork. However, JR had another matter on his mind- how he could get his young wife into bed with him right at that very moment. "I hadn't realised how many belongings we have all accumulated here. We will need professional help to pack our things and move them back" she commented. "Hmmm?" JR wasn't listening. He was busy unbuttoning his wife's shirt and kissing and nuzzling her neck, just as she liked. She attempted to get him back to the subject that she had introduced but quickly realised that her efforts were going to be futile. By then her shirt had been completely undone and he had turned his handiwork to the belt of her jeans.

"Come on, honey, let's go upstairs. You promised me earlier, remember?" he murmured, locking lips with her, his hands now firmly around her waist. He knew he was turning her on as he felt her body relax into their embrace. She pulled away from him gently and took his hand. As they went upstairs she turned to him. "Tonight, I'm in charge. Alright?" JR smiled lasciviously. Usually he was dominant but on occasion it was a real thrill to let Sue-Ellen direct the action. "Yes darlin. You take control. I'm yours to do whatever you want with me tonight."

Tbc

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews. I am getting them but they are not appearing on the website. Don't know why x**


	100. Chapter 101

As soon as JR entered the reception area of Ewing Oil bright and early on Monday morning it was evident that he was in an extremely good mood. He had cause to be. He was back in favour with his daddy and what would be their last weekend at the town house had proved to be incredibly enjoyable. JR marvelled at his young wife's enthusiasm for sex together with her inventive ideas as to how to keep their physical encounters fresh and exciting. He intended to make the most of their last few evenings at the rented property, he mused to himself as he hung up his Stetson and started on a pile pf paperwork.

He had a meeting later on that morning with the manager of the Cattleman's Bank. Bobby's proposed deal with the Cartel had not been overlooked by him. Despite his personal life being at an all- time high he still wished to take his younger brother down a peg or two and now he knew exactly how to do it.

At 10.30am JR stopped what he was doing, put on his jacket and hat and left his office. He bumped into his daddy as he made for the elevator. "Good morning JR" his father greeted him. "How long have you been in?" "Since just after eight, sir. I wanted to clear some work out of the way before I attend the obstetric appointment that Sue-Ellen has arranged. It's just routine but I thought it appropriate to show her my support" he lied.

Normally Jock would have regarded JR leaving work to meet his wife as pandering behaviour. However, as this concerned the health of what he sincerely hoped would be his first grandson, he was prepared to excuse his son on this occasion. "I hope all goes well then" he responded. JR had banked on such a reaction. He thanked his father and left.

Half an hour later JR was being shown into the office of Peter Harvey, the new manager of the Cattleman's Bank. Harvey was a dour, somewhat grey man but his banking instincts were sound and he appreciated only too well that the Ewings were loyal and successful investors who needed to be kept on side. "JR, come in. How's the family? I hear you and Sue-Ellen have another baby on the way. Congratulations!" he began obsequiously. "We're all just fine, thank you, Peter" JR replied shaking the man's hand warmly.

Several more pleasantries later and the men settled down to business. "So, JR, what can I do for you?" Peter asked. "I don't know if you are aware but my daddy and I are in the process of teaching my youngest brother, Bobby, the oil business." The bank manager nodded. He had been informed that, after a period of absence, Bobby was back in the family fold once again. "Now Bobby is a very proud young man and he doesn't know that I'm here and I would be obliged if you'd keep it that way, Peter. Fact is that I'm letting him take the lead on the purchase of some fields that Christopher Wainwright has up for sale, as a learning exercise you understand? I'm just forewarning you that it's likely that Bobby will make an application to the bank on behalf of the company for a loan to cover the purchase. Any problems with the application and you will let me know won't you?"

"I know all about the Wainwright deal, JR. I turned the Cartel away because they couldn't come up with the necessary deposit. However, those fields are a sound investment. It's just a question of generating sufficient cash, upfront, to back the loan" Peter replied. JR smiled. "How much are you talking about? I just want to be able to help Bobby close this deal, you know." "I told the Cartel I needed twelve million dollars. I knew they wouldn't be able to do it between them. For Ewing Oil call it eleven" the man responded.

JR smiled wickedly and stood up. "You've been most helpful" he replied, extending his hand to the other man. "Let's hope that my little brother and you can come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement then." "It's always a pleasure doing business with Ewing Oil, JR. I truly hope that your younger brother can pull this deal off." The two men shook hands and JR took his leave. Wonderful! JR thought, smirking as he walked towards the elevator. Right at that point eleven million dollars was about the sum total of Ewing Oil's liquid, available capital, the building of the refinery having made a significant dent in the amount held on deposit, he calculated.

When JR got back to the office he encountered his brother who was about to leave to meet Pam for lunch. "Say, Bobby, can I have a quick word first please?" His brother nodded. Entering JR's office Bobby remained deliberately standing. "I haven't got long though" he commented. "Oh this won't take long. I was just wondering how you were getting along with the Wainwright deal?" JR asked. "Just fine. It's a shame that the company can't buy all the fields on offer though. We would triple our profit overnight" Bobby replied. JR could barely stop himself from laughing. His little brother was certainly ambitious but he lacked the brains to be successful, he reflected.

"Well why don't you buy all the fields then?" Bobby looked at him quizzically. "We shook hands on it with the Cartel. We daren't go back on what was agreed" he argued. "You, not we. Remember I'm staying out of this, Bob. This deal is yours. What I would say, though, is that there have been plenty of times over the years when the members of the Cartel have stabbed the Ewing family in the back to secure an advantageous deal. Marilee has no compunction about betrayal when it suits hers and Seth's purposes. Just think about it."

At that Bobby turned and exited the office. What a way to make his mark where the running of the company was concerned, he thought. The acquisition of all those prime fields had to impress his daddy and cause him to vest more in the way of responsibility for the business in him. JR closed the door, making sure that Bobby had gone before pouring himself and large bourbon and bursting into laughter.

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	101. Chapter 102

When he had finished laughing JR took his drink over to his desk and sat down. Leafing through a neat pile of papers he found what he was looking for. Timing was going to be key, he schemed as he studied the figures set out in the document. Sniggering to himself he locked the piece of paper in his desk drawer and set back to work. His diversion to the bank that morning had put him behind. He would just have to eat a sandwich brought in by his secretary at his desk and plough on, he thought.

Over at Southfork Sue-Ellen and Miss Ellie were discussing the former's impending move back home. "I have the decorators all ready to go" Miss Ellie advised. "You just need to let them know your preference for the wallpaper and paint." Sue-Ellen nodded. "I've chosen both. I hope you approve" she responded, bringing out the samples from her bag. Miss Ellie smiled. "Just lovely. You have good taste, dear." "Thank you for your understanding about the bedroom and the relocation of the nursery. Hopefully it will be less intrusive for the rest of you to have the three of us somewhat further down the hall."

As the two women began to go through a book of fabric swatches for curtains they were joined by Pam. Sue-Ellen instantly perceived that there was something not right with her sister-in-law. "Hello Pam. Are you okay?" she enquired. "I'm just fine thank you, Sue-Ellen" Pam replied, but the tone of her voice demonstrated otherwise. Miss Ellie got up and excused herself on the pretext that she needed to call the decorators. She had heard Bobby and Pam having a row that morning but the topic of their dispute had been imperceptible. She sensed that Pam might appreciate the opportunity to speak to somebody more her own age about what had happened.

After Miss Ellie had gone silence descended between the two remaining women, although it was by no means uncomfortable. Each of them quite liked the other despite the fact that they knew that their husbands were rivalrous where the other was concerned. Sue-Ellen glanced over to her baby who was fast asleep in her pushchair. The maternal concern that she expressed by that tiny gesture almost broke Pam's heart.

"Sue-Ellen?" Pam broke the silence. "Why did you marry JR?" "Why did you marry Bobby?" Sue-Ellen asked. "Because I love him." "Ditto" Sue-Ellen countered. She had no idea where this conversation was heading. "It's hard though, being married to a Ewing, isn't it? I had no idea." Sue-Ellen realised that Pam was reaching out to her, no doubt because of all the strife that she and JR had been through recently. "You know Bobby and JR are more similar than they would like to admit" Sue-Ellen began, her sister-in-law staring at her intently. "I mean Bobby likes to occupy the moral high ground whereas JR is more open about how ruthless he sometimes has to be in business. However, the two of them are just as ambitious as each other where the future control of Ewing Oil is concerned. They can also be very jealous." Pam nodded. The row that she and Bobby had that morning had been prompted by Bobby's thoughtless comment that JR was returning to live at Southfork with children but they had none. Their childlessness was obviously getting to him.

"I'm beginning to find out, Sue-Ellen. How on earth do you manage?" she asked. "Well I suppose the answer lies in how this conversation started out. We love each other, deeply, and I guess that just sees us through in the end." Pam sighed. If only she could share her sister-in-law's optimism that somehow love would always win the day. "Things will settle down, honestly" Sue-Ellen reassured her, fleetingly touching her hand.

Pam had other worries on her mind. She changed the subject to that of her brother. "Cliff has asked to see you. He told me that he is in love with you. I'm confused about what happened between you both" she commented. Sue-Ellen's demeanour and body language immediately altered and Pam could tell that she was on the defensive. "We met up a few times in town. Nothing happened between us. Cliff doesn't love me, Pam. He loved the idea of causing upset to JR, that's all" Sue-Ellen responded.

"He says he suspects that you were feeding him information in accordance with JR's direction. Please tell me that's not true?"

Sue-Ellen was in a dilemma. She had always known, deep down, that this sort of question was bound to arise. How to deal with it was something that she hadn't yet figured out. She decided on total honesty. "Yes I was, for a time. You see we found out that Cliff wanted to seduce me and then discard me so that I would have to go back to JR as spoilt goods. I hadn't done anything to Cliff yet he wanted to use me so, yes, I did give him some information but you must understand, Pam, that nobody forced your brother to do what he did, not me and not even JR. Then when I found out that you and Bobby were seeing each other I withdrew my involvement. That almost cost me my marriage."

Pam felt ashamed. Thus far she had been inclined to believe Cliff's version of events which had JR and Sue-Ellen working in league to destroy him just for the fun of it. She should have realised, knowing her brother as she did and having started to get to know Sue-Ellen, that there had to be more to it. "I'm sorry, Sue-Ellen. I didn't know that Cliff had planned something as cruel as that" she replied, attempting to placate her. "I'm sorry too, for allowing my personal vanity and, at the time, my ire with my husband to lead us all into this" Sue-Ellen reassured her. "Pam, the Ewing family aren't perfect but at the same time they aren't the demons that you have been brought up to believe them to be. If you love Bobby, then you will get through whatever it is that you are currently contending with" she advised. Pam knew she was right. There was more to her sister-in-law than just the Miss Texas title.

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	102. Chapter 103

When JR returned to the townhouse he found his wife sealing the final few packing boxes for their move back to Southfork. It was to be their last night at the house and JR suddenly felt sad. They had made a comfortable and pleasant home, albeit temporarily, here and he and Sue-Ellen had enjoyed a period of calm and harmony in their marriage that had been in marked contrast to how things had been between them immediately beforehand.

As Sue-Ellen stood JR wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. "Are you alright, darlin?" he asked, anxious that she might be feeling the same way that he was. "I'm just fine, JR" she reassured him. The truth was that she had come to terms with the return to Southfork rather better than he had. With the confidence that in a new bedroom and with greater time spent away together as a family at the weekends and during the holidays Sue-Ellen was sure that they could be happy. For all the reasons discussed before concerning their position in the family and at Ewing Oil she was also positive that they were doing the right thing.

"Are you okay, JR?" she asked, sensing that he was worried. "Oh yes, it's just that we have had such a happy time here. I do want that to continue when we get back to Southfork and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that it does" he responded cheerfully. Deep down, however, JR associated his family home with a time when his and Sue-Ellen's relationship had been incredibly tempestuous and he had almost lost her for good. He was terrified that the same might happen again. "Where's my little girl?" he enquired. One of the greatest pleasures of his day was coming home to spending time with his daughter. He hoped she hadn't yet gone to sleep. "I've put her down for the night but I think she may still be awake" Sue-Ellen responded. "Let's go up and see."

They made their way upstairs to find Ella awake but drowsy in her cot. As her daddy peered in over the top the baby girl smiled at him, the bond between the two of them all too evident. JR looked at his wife for guidance. They had Ella in a very good routine and he didn't want to interrupt it. There was also the issue of him wanting some time alone with his wife on their last night in the house and he didn't much care to contemplate it being disrupted by a restless, wakeful baby. Sue-Ellen nodded her head for him to pick Ella up. She had her little girl to hold, cuddle and play with all day long. JR didn't but he adored his daughter and was entitled to miss her, she thought. As he lifted Ella gently from the cot Sue-Ellen withdrew to check on dinner, pausing briefly to kiss her little girl on the forehead.

JR sat down in the rocking chair and began talking to his little girl. He kept the volume and tone of his voice to a level that would be conducive to sleep rather than stimulating his baby back into alertness. The pang of sadness that he felt before returned as he watched his child drift off into innocent sleep. There had rarely been moments like this for him at Southfork, his return from work being dominated by his daddy's regimented insistence that the family were present and correct for dinner at 6pm sharp. In contrast to the serenity of what he was now experiencing the hour between the end of the business day and appearing in the main living room for pre-dinner drinks with the family at 6pm was, for the most part, a chaotic rush.

Placing Ella back into her cot and covering her over JR exited the room, turning back briefly to have one last look at his child who was fast asleep, her arms above her head and her little fists charmingly clenched. He sighed as he made his way down the stairs, cheering up slightly when he realised that Sue-Ellen had made him his favourite dinner. "Shall we have a glass of wine? To mark our last evening here?" she asked. "Yes. I'll open a bottle of decent red" JR replied, reaching for the corkscrew. As they sat at the table he took her hand and kissed the back of it affectionately. "I have something for you, Sue-Ellen" he began, taking a small box from his trouser pocket. "This is only a token, of my love and gratitude to you for standing by me and making the sacrifice that you have." Sue-Ellen took the box from him and opened it. She gasped when she saw the content. It was a sapphire pendant, surrounded by diamonds and hanging on a white gold chain. "JR, it's stunning!" she exclaimed. "It must have cost a fortune though!" "Do you like it? I mean really?" he asked. Ever since they had announced their return to Southfork he had been searching for an appropriate gift to thank her for the considerable concession that she was making. When one of Sue-Ellen's favourite jewellers had sourced the pendant he had instinctively felt that it was right.

"I love it. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Thank you, my love" she answered, throwing her arms around him and kissing him on the lips. JR was pleased with himself. He loved to spoil his wife and the reality was that the piece of jewellery, albeit extremely expensive, had cost him only a fraction of what would have been spent on the construction of a new house.

After a very enjoyable dinner the couple moved to the sofa. Neither of them had any interest in the television. Instead, they began to kiss, the passion between them increasing as their tongues danced and flickered in and out of each other's mouths. JR held Sue-Ellen in a tight embrace. He wanted to remember this moment for all time. When their kiss broke naturally and somewhat breathlessly JR took Sue-Ellen's hand and led her upstairs. He intended to make the very most of their last night together at the house and to ensure that Sue-Ellen's pleasure was at the forefront of what they were about to do.

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	103. Chapter 104

JR knocked politely and entered his father's office. Following the romance of his and Sue-Ellen's last night at the townhouse and the chaos of them moving back to Southfork he was back to business. Bobby remained his principal target. "Daddy, we've been offered first refusal on the take-over of this company. It's a small, specialist engineering outfit but we use its services pretty regularly. I was thinking it might make sense to buy it and bring it in-house" he began.

Jock studied the proposal. "Might be beneficial, particularly as we will have the refinery up and running soon. Why do the owners want to off-load it?" "I've checked that out very carefully and the reason is legitimate. Both of them want to retire. The senior partner is also in ill-health" JR replied. "What's the bottom line then?" Jock asked. JR pointed to a figure on the proposal. "We have that in the bank, liquid. In terms of how that leaves us in the immediate future I've done these projections. We will easily be able to return that money and a whole lot more besides into the business current account in virtually no time at all."

Jock was impressed. Whilst he remained tolerant of his eldest son's attention to his wife it was clear from this that JR was still very dedicated to the company. "Have you run this past Bobby?" Jock asked. "Not yet, sir. I'm not sure that this sort of decision meets his level of understanding of the business. I don't mean that disrespectfully. It's just that you and I have worked out projections of this type for years. Bobby's only just beginning" JR responded disingenuously.

"Alright then. Get on with it and keep me informed as to your progress." JR nodded and exited the office. He returned to his office and immediately stashed the documents in his locked cabinet. There was no way that he wanted to risk his brother seeing them. Then he came out again and knocked on Bobby's door. "Come on in" Bobby commanded. "Good morning, JR. What can I do for you?" "Good morning, I missed you at breakfast. Early start?"

"Yes I was in here for 7.30, lots to do." "I was wondering if you had decided what to do over the Wainwright deal?" JR asked. He had noticed that his brother had been looking pre-occupied lately. Whatever it was that was occupying his thoughts he needed a push in the right direction, JR schemed. "Well, on the one hand I don't much care for betraying the members of the Cartel, particularly when they came to us with the deal. However, on the other, we can afford to take it on all by ourselves and why shouldn't we given that we also avoid all the legal complexities that would flow from Ewing Oil having to extricate its share of the fields from the Cartel's afterwards?" "So?" JR asked. "So I suppose I've just talked myself into going for the latter then." It was the response that JR had been waiting for.

"You will have to hurry then, Bob. If the Cartel gets wind of what you are going to do they will approach another investor and attempt to close the deal first. Where are you up to on finance?" "I've got agreement in principle" Bobby replied flatly. He wasn't going to go into detail. He was beginning to become irritated by what he interpreted as an assumption by his older brother that he wasn't on top of all that needed to be done.

"Just fine then. Oh and by the way, I wouldn't tell daddy about this. Not yet. It's better to keep him out of it. Let Punk blame us, not him. The Cartel will get over it, they always do. They need us much more than we need them" JR advised. "Yes you're right about that" Bobby responded naively. Though he didn't show it JR was highly amused. You are so dumb, little brother, he thought as he returned to his office.

Bobby settled back down to work although he was finding it difficult to concentrate. Pam's surgery was scheduled for the beginning of the following week and then there was Cliff's trial, the date for which was approaching with alarming rapidity. Every time the case was mentioned Pam's whole demeanour changed. She became cold and distant, as if this wasn't a problem that she could share with him. It was almost as if she blamed her brother's predicament on him because he was a Ewing. As the figures on the paperwork before him swirled he decided to make a call instead. JR was right. Time was of the essence.

"Hello, Mr. Wainwright, sir. It's Bobby Ewing here. I understand that you have marketed a number of fields for sale. Ewing Oil would be very interested in acquiring them." Christopher Wainwright didn't much regard for the Ewings. He had his fingers burnt by JR several years ago and had vowed to have nothing more to do with them. However, the sale of the fields was taking a disproportionate amount of time and he needed the money to be able to diversify his business. He had lost patience with the Cartel who seemed to be going round and round in endless circles of pointless negotiation. Either they came up with the money for the entire lot or there would be no deal he had recently informed Marilee Stone. "Mr. Ewing, I like to do business face to face. Can you come here for a meeting?" Wainwright asked. He wanted to assess Jock's youngest son in person. "Yes of course, when?" "There's no time like the present. In an hour?" "Yes sir, thank you. I will see you then." Bobby was excited. He walked into JR's office and told him the good news. "Just great, Bobby!" JR congratulated him. "Let me know how it goes." As he watched Bobby leave he broke out into a wide smile, moved to his cabinet and took out the documents that he had shown to his father earlier.

Picking up the telephone JR rang the engineering company in question. "Can I have a word with Mr. Travers, please, it's JR Ewing here." The receptionist was aware of what dealing with the Ewings had meant to the company and politely put him straight through. "William, how are you? I've considered your proposal for the sale of the company and with a little manoeuvring over the price I'd like to make you an offer."

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	104. Chapter 105

When JR returned home that evening he was in a very fine mood. With the glowing approval of his father he had negotiated at a discounted price the purchase of the Travers company. Ewing Oil now had its own specialist engineering division which was bound to stand it in good stead for when the refinery was up and running as well as servicing the drills out in the fields. Just as importantly, however, the purchase had been financed by his daddy transferring almost all of the capital held in the business current account into another account held in his sole name.

He found Sue-Ellen with Ella in the nursery. "Good evening darlin" he greeted his wife, taking the baby from her arms. "Come to daddy! I've missed you" he told his daughter, grinning as the little girl returned his smile. Sue-Ellen could always tell when her husband was in good spirits. "Successful day at the office?" she enquired as he turned to give her a kiss. "Very" JR replied. He followed Sue-Ellen out of the nursery and into their new bedroom, taking Ella with him. He wanted to spend a little more time with his daughter before she was put down to bed. "How's your day been?" he asked. "Hmm, the usual. I mean that in a good way though" Sue-Ellen responded sitting down on the bed next to him. "I haven't forgotten our agreement you know" JR commented. "This weekend we're going over to the lake house, just the three of us." Sue-Ellen's face lit up. Two nights away all by themselves absent the tense atmosphere that still reigned over the Southfork dinner table would be bliss, she thought. She leaned over and kissed him. "Can't wait" were all the words she needed to say in reply.

While JR's day had gone swimmingly, Bobby's had not been as easy. The meeting with Wainwright was succinct and to the point. There was to be no negotiating over the price of the fields, he was told, and the contract had to be signed, sealed and delivered within 7 days. With Bobby's lack of experience in the business he didn't dare contradict the man even though he had secretly been hoping that there might be a little room to haggle over the asking price. Instead he nodded meekly and shook hands on it. As he returned to the offices of Ewing Oil he suddenly had his doubts. This was a massive deal for him to have made on his own and this made him unsure of himself. However, the fact remained that if he could pull it off Ewing Oil's portfolio of profitable oil fields was going to be considerably stronger. His father couldn't fail to be impressed, he mused.

When he entered his office he was informed that Marilee Stone had called earlier wishing to speak to him. She hadn't been specific about the nature of the call, Phyllis told him. Bobby's stomach lurched. He wasn't looking forward one bit to having to let her know that he had decided to go it alone on the Wainwright proposal, he thought. "If she calls again, don't put her through. Please tell her that I'm in a meeting." In an ideal world he would be in possession of a legally binding contract with Wainwright before he had to tell her, he schemed.

When he got home he found Pam to be in a sombre mood. She had seen Cliff earlier on. "He's in a really bad way, Bobby. His lawyer has advised him to think about a plea bargain but he won't survive in jail. He attempts to come across as strong but he's less robust than people think. I know he had his reasons to want to get back at Cliff, Sue-Ellen explained it to me, but it doesn't stop me hating JR right now" she told him. Bobby shrugged his shoulders. It looked like it was going to be another fun dinner this evening, he thought, but decided to keep the sentiment to himself. He didn't want to risk another disagreement. He watched as his young wife dressed for dinner. The whirlwind of their initial romance was well and truly over and reality was setting in, he reflected sadly. He wondered whether she felt the same? He still loved her, very much, but their lives together were beset with one complication after another and it wasn't easy.

His thoughts turned to JR and Sue-Ellen. JR's one lucky son of a bitch, he contemplated. His life gets better by the minute. He was back in their daddy's good books for returning home, performed extremely competently in his job and, to top it all off, he had a happy marriage to a loyal, loving and fertile wife. He couldn't say he hated his brother. He just wanted what he had. Was that really too much to ask?

JR's overtly exuberant mood over pre-dinner drinks was getting to Bobby. It didn't help that Pam remained cool and distant towards him whereas his brother's and sister-in-law's interactions evidenced all too well their happiness together. "Bobby, Pam, are the two of you alright?" JR enquired. He had no genuine concern for the young couple's welfare, he knew that the question would undoubtedly needle his younger brother. "We're just fine. Thank you for the concern, JR." Pam ignored him and turned her head away. Miss Ellie shot JR a warning glance just as Sue-Ellen tactfully raised a different topic. "JR, your mama and I have been discussing the annual charity rodeo. We've chosen the date. Early summer when it won't be too hot for the competitors and spectators" she began.

The men all nodded. "Sounds like a decent plan" Jock replied. "Pam, would you like to help us?" Miss Ellie asked, sensing the need to involve the young woman more in family events. "No thank you, Miss Ellie" Pam responded curtly. "Because by then my brother will probably be serving a jail sentence and will need my continuous support in terms of visits. Then there's my daddy and his care to think of. That will fall entirely to me. Finally, there's the fact that I'm thinking about going back to work. I've been approached to return to The Store."

Silence descended over the room. It was the first time that Pam had dared to speak her mind in front of the entire family. It was her husband who broke the silence. He was angry. "When were you going to discuss all of that with me? I'm only your husband. I don't want you going back to The Store. Think of how would that reflect on me? The Ewing son who can't take care of his own wife?" JR smirked but then took a swig of his drink to avoid his parents noticing. Could this day get any better, he thought?

"Bobby's right" Jock interjected. "Ewing wives don't go out to work. They stay at home and take care of their men and their children. On the subject of which, when are your mama and I going to hear good news from the pair of you?" His words were inadvertently cutting. Pam got up and ran upstairs. "What have I said?" Jock asked. Bobby sighed. "I need to go to her, please excuse me." "Well well and here was me thinking that we were all going to sit down to a quiet family dinner tonight" JR commented wickedly as he took Sue-Ellen's arm to lead her into the dining room.

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	105. Chapter 106

Several minutes after he had gone up to see Pam Bobby returned downstairs. He took his seat and began to eat. "Well then?" Jock asked. He deserved to be given an explanation, he thought. "Pam's having an early night, daddy. She's adamant about going back to work, though, and I've agreed to respect her wishes." "Now then, boy, if you think that's a fit and proper explanation for the disruption that the pair of you have caused to dinner, you're sadly mistaken" Jock countered. "Why did she get all upset when children were mentioned?"

Bobby sighed and shook his head. His father wasn't going to give up, he decided. "Look, Pam and I have had some bad news. It looks like we may not be able to have any children. That's why she became upset." JR patted his wife's knee. This was just incredible, he thought. "Oh Bobby, that's just awful. I'm so sorry" Sue-Ellen interjected, her thoughts turning to the conversation with Pam in which she had recommended the services of Dr Scott to her.

"I don't get it." Jock was angry. "You're young and fit. Ewing men have never had any trouble in that department. Look at Sue-Ellen!" His daughter-in-law blushed. "Jock! This is Bobby's and Pam's private business" Miss Ellie scolded him. Bobby's pride was hurt, particularly when his father had alluded to JR's virility. "It's alright mama. It was going to have to come out in the end. The problem lies with Pam. She had an illness when she was younger and this will probably have a bearing on her ability to get pregnant or carry a child successfully. She's scheduled to have an exploratory operation early next week."

Jock tutted and carried on eating having decided that it was unwise to rile his son by making any further comment. "Bad luck, Bobby. It shouldn't come as a surprise though. I mean, she's a Barnes and they're all a bunch of losers aren't they?" JR said, smiling at him. Bobby wanted to hit him. "JR!" Miss Ellie intervened "stop that right now. You can be so cruel sometimes." She didn't want dinner to descend into a brawl between her two sons. Sue-Ellen shot her husband a warning glance. She was aware of his and his brother's intense rivalry but she didn't approve of them having a go at each other about personal matters.

When dinner was over JR and Sue-Ellen decided to call it a night. Sue-Ellen was beginning to feel the strain of having to look after Ella as her pregnancy progressed and she felt exhausted. JR wanted to pump his wife for information. "What do you imagine is wrong with Pam?" he asked as they got ready for bed. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "I don't know, JR. I don't have a degree in medicine" she responded sarcastically. He pulled her into his arms. "Oh now don't be mad at me, honey. I realise that I shouldn't have said what I did but you know the saying don't you? Marry in haste, repent at leisure." Sue-Ellen let him kiss her. She secretly enjoyed having the upper hand over him. It was like admonishing a naughty schoolboy, she thought, as she relaxed into his embrace.

Bobby excused himself from the company of his parents and went up to check on Pam. She was still awake, her efforts to fall asleep having been disrupted by her state of upset. "Are you OK?" he asked. "What do you think, Bobby? No I'm not ok and on top of all that I'm contending with at the moment I imagine that the whole of your family now know that the problem with us having a child lies with me, not you" she replied tearfully. "They don't take any pleasure in it, honestly Pam." "Oh I'll bet that's not true where your brother is concerned. The field will be left wide open for him and Sue-Ellen to fill this house with their children. He must be completely ecstatic." Pam turned her back on her husband and snuggled down, signalling that their conversation was over. She was right, Bobby thought. With Sue-Ellen as young as she is what would there be to prevent her and JR having several more children? JR's position in the company would then be assured. He would take control of and run it in the future interests of his own children only and, in turn, he would be frozen out. That was unless he could make a real mark as an oilman forcing his father to recognise that he too was entitled to a future interest in the company, with or without children. That was what he was going to do, he decided. He would push the Wainwright deal through as fast as he could, announce his success to his daddy and JR and demand that his position at Ewing Oil be formally acknowledged.

Bobby was up bright and early the following morning. He needed to get into the office early, his aim being to close his deal with Wainwright Oil by close of business. A number of calls passed back and forth between him and the lawyer appointed by Harve Smithfield to draft the contract and the transfer deed. Then he spoke to Christopher Wainwright who was only too happy to co-operate with what he needed to do to ensure that the sale went through that day.

Relaxing in the knowledge that all was in hand Bobby poured himself a coffee and looked out of the window. Suddenly, Marilee entered the office, Phyllis in protest behind her. God, Bobby thought. She sure has impeccable timing. "Marilee, good morning. What can I do for you?" he asked, maintaining as calm a façade as he could. "You haven't been returning my calls, you bad boy" she replied. "I'm sorry it's just that I have been really busy. I intended absolutely no disrespect" he lied.

"I forgive you. Do you have twenty minutes or so? To talk?" "I suppose so. Is it about the Wainwright deal?" Bobby decided that he just needed to be straight with the woman. "That amongst other things." Marilee moved round to Bobby's side of the desk, spun his chair so as to face her and leaned over him. "Shall we have a little fun first?" Before he could take avoidant action Marilee kissed him. Bobby tried to stand but she pushed him back down onto the chair and began stroking his crotch. "Bobby Ewing, you are a big boy" she commented as she carried on with her actions. "Marilee, there's been some sort of misunderstanding. I'm sure it was all my fault, you're very attractive, but I don't want to do this. I'm married now and infidelity just isn't my style" he pleaded. "I'm married too and what our spouses don't know can't harm them" she responded, unbuttoning the top of her blouse with her free hand. She had Bobby cornered. Short of strong-arming her away from him, which he instinctively felt would be a mistake, there was no getting away from her. He would have to try to persuade her to back off instead. "Mrs. Stone, stop!" Bobby almost shrieked in alarm at the woman's advances. "Come on, you know you want this. Let's get a hotel room. Then we can have some real fun" she giggled in response.

In the heat of their encounter they hadn't noticed that they had just been joined by a third person. "Bobby?" It was Pam. She had been feeling bad about her coldness towards her husband of late and had decided to drive into town and offer to take him for lunch. "Oh dear. I take it that this is Pamela?" Marilee commented coolly as she took her hand away and quickly moved away from the desk. Pam delivered a sharp slap to the woman's face and then leaned over the desk and did the same to her husband. As she stormed out of the office she was followed by Bobby. "Pam! This isn't what it looks like!" he begged, taking hold of her arm to impede her progress and get his point across. "Take your hand off me!" Pam shouted. "I could see very well what it was that you and that woman were doing. You're just like your brother!"

The commotion that had ensued caused JR and Jock to leave their offices to investigate. Marilee was fastening the button on her blouse, her cheek still stinging from the force of the slap. She grinned at JR and stalked past the two men to the elevator. "Bobby! In my office now!" Jock commanded. "Pamela, I don't know what has just occurred but I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Right now I recommend that you calm down and then go home and talk things through with Miss Ellie."

JR then addressed the secretaries. "Show's over ladies. Back to work now please." He followed Pam to the elevator. "Looks like your Prince Charming isn't quite as charming as you thought" he began. "You see Ewing men have a very healthy appetite, if you get my drift. Now Sue-Ellen makes sure that my needs are satisfied. Seems to me that with all the strife you're going through at present you've been neglecting your husband. It was only a matter of time, I'm afraid." Pam delivered a forceful slap to her brother-in-law's cheek. She had been aching to do so for ages. "You are disgusting" she replied as she entered the open door of the elevator. JR smirked. This was unbelievably good and about to get a whole lot better, he mused as he walked back to his office.

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	106. Chapter 107

When Pam got back to Southfork she fled upstairs. Miss Ellie knew why. Her husband had called and explained. "There's been an incident at Ewing Oil involving Bobby, Pam and Marilee Stone" she informed Sue-Ellen who had almost been sent flying as she came downstairs as Pam ran up. "What sort of incident?" Sue-Ellen asked. "Pam found Bobby and Marilee in a somewhat compromising position from the way that Jock described it but Bobby insists that Marilee was the sole instigator of what happened" Miss Ellie explained. "I detest that woman" Sue-Ellen exclaimed. "It will have been part of some scheme of hers, without a doubt. She plays games, dangerous games." Miss Ellie looked surprised. She had never heard Sue-Ellen express such strong dislike for anyone before.

"Do you think that we should go and talk to Pam?" Miss Ellie asked. She was looking for Sue-Ellen's support. "I guess so. Pam's family now and she was obviously very upset." The two women climbed the stairs together. Miss Ellie knocked gently on Pam's bedroom door. At first there was no answer. After the second knock Pam came to the door. She had been crying. "I need to pack, Miss Ellie. I can't stay here. I'm going to my brother's" she announced flatly. "Pam, don't do anything rash, please" Miss Ellie begged. Pam shook her head. "I know what I saw. Bobby and Marilee are obviously having an affair. I heard her suggest to him that they get a hotel room" she cried.

"Hold on a moment" Sue-Ellen intervened. "What was his response?" she asked. "I don't know because I said something at that point and after that it was all just a blur" Pam responded. "So you can't say then that this was definitely what they both had in mind? Pam, can I ask what it was that you witnessed them doing?" "He was sat in his chair behind his desk and she was stood over him. She was touching him, there" she gesticulated. "And what was he doing?" "Nothing, he was just letting her."

"Think about it, Pam. If Bobby had been having an illicit affair with that woman his hands would have been all over her." Pam stared at Sue-Ellen. "So, what do you say was happening then?" "I don't know. All I do know is that Bobby would never be attracted to Marilee Stone, never." Miss Ellie nodded vigorously in agreement. "The woman is like a black widow spider. She mates and then destroys. She's unhappy in her marriage, she and Seth are hardly a match made in heaven, and she's jealous of both of us. We are younger and better looking than her and we have husbands who love us, husbands who are Ewings. Plus, she can't stand the fact that Ewing Oil is so much bigger than her company. I hate her!" The venom with which Sue-Ellen ripped into Marilee was out of character and shocked both Pam and Miss Ellie. "Please, Pam, hear Bobby out. I just know that it's not what you think. Bobby wouldn't go anywhere near Marilee. In any case it's obvious that he absolutely adores you."

"Sue-Ellen is right, Pam" Miss Ellie interjected. "You've got to give Bobby a chance to explain. You can't just take off to Cliff's." By this point Pam had calmed down somewhat. There was force behind the two women's words, she thought. "Alright, I will give Bobby the opportunity to tell me what happened and then I'll decide" she responded.

Over at Ewing Oil Bobby was struggling to make his point. "I wasn't born yesterday, Bobby. What the hell were you and Marilee up to?" his father shouted. Jock was becoming frustrated. "She propositioned me, daddy. It was unexpected, I'm sorry." "Sorry? You're a grown man. Why didn't you tell her that you weren't interested and ask her to leave?" "I tried to but she was persistent and wouldn't take no for an answer." "What? So you just let her fondle you? Is she blackmailing you or something?" "No! I just can't explain, daddy. It was all too weird and I felt uncomfortable about being as direct with her as I would have wished." Jock tutted and shook his head. "Why is it that you always seem to get into scrapes where women are concerned?" The intercom buzzer broke the impasse between the two men. "Mr. Ewing, it's Mrs. Ewing for you." "Miss Ellie?" "Jock, I thought you should know that Pamela was going to leave. However, Sue-Ellen and I have persuaded her to stay. Well it was Sue-Ellen really. She sprang to Bobby's defence in an impressive fashion and Pam now sees the sense in talking things through with him. Think about it, Jock. How likely is it really that Bobby would have an affair with Marilee?" "You're right, as ever, Miss Ellie. What a mess. It looks like I'm going to have to be the diplomat where the Cartel is concerned. Marilee won't take what happened today lightly you know."

Bobby suddenly realised that he hadn't told his daddy the full story. The Wainwright deal and the connection to the Cartel had evaded his mind as he became subsumed with panic over his marriage. After Jock had bade Miss Ellie farewell Bobby decided to speak. "Daddy, there's something else that you need to know." "Huh?" "One of the reasons why Marilee came to the office today was to talk about us going in with the Cartel over the purchase of the Wainwright fields. However, I've already done the deal with Christopher Wainwright on behalf of Ewing Oil exclusively. The contract is to be signed today." Jock looked at him incredulously. "What? What's happened about the finance for it?" he asked. "All taken care of, sir. The down payment is sitting in the current account and the bank has loaned us the rest. By close of business Ewing Oil will be the proud owners of another dozen prime fields." "Damn it Bobby! What are you talking about when you say we have the down payment? I transferred ten million to my own personal account yesterday to cover the purchase of another company. Why wasn't I consulted about this?"

"Why the hell did you put ten million in your own account, daddy? This means I can't go ahead with my deal" Bobby asserted in an angry tone. "Because it's my money!" Jock replied angrily. "No, sir, it's the company's money." "Take a look around you, boy. I am the damned company and I can do whatever I want with my money. You were a fool to try to close that deal all by yourself. It was way too big for you. Why didn't you ask for JR's help?" Bobby shook his head. "I wanted to do this by myself so that you would give me more power over the business. I thought the acquisition of those fields would be a good thing for Ewing Oil!" Bobby shouted. "Power? You wanted me to give you more power? Oh no, son, nobody is given power, you have to take it. Do you understand?" Jock thundered. "Now go and fetch your brother. He will have to help me to put this mess right. "

 **Thank you for all the reviews. They keep me going : )**


	107. Chapter 108

"I still don't understand properly what's been happening with Bobby lately?" Sue-Ellen questioned JR on their journey to the lake house. "Why was your daddy so angry with him? Between your mama and I we were able to resolve the Marilee Stone issue and Pam forgave him. Was there something else?" JR nodded. "Bobby made a complete mess of a business deal. It took daddy and I a hell of a lot of hard work to sort it out. Daddy had to go grovelling to the Cartel to secure their involvement in the deal, because we couldn't afford it on our own, and I had to resolve matters with the vendor. It was all rather embarrassing although daddy wasn't slow to point the finger of blame openly at my little brother!" he chuckled. Sue-Ellen stared at him. "Did you have any part in Bobby's mistake?" she quizzed him. For a few weeks she had harboured the suspicion that JR was plotting against his brother and her instinct told her that he had more to do with this than he was prepared to say.

"No honey, I didn't" JR lied, faking disappointment at the fact that she was impliedly accusing him. "I knew he was trying to close the deal and I offered him my help and guidance but he refused. He's too proud and stubborn for his own good. I just wish you hadn't been so adept at persuading Pamela that there was nothing to the Marilee incident other than her rampant appetite for sex. We could have had the woman off Southfork by now." "JR, that's a terrible thing to say! Bobby and Pam love each other very much" Sue-Ellen responded. JR patted her thigh. "I'm only joking" he reassured her, although his words weren't exactly sincere.

"Come on, let's forget all about the family and business" he suggested, wishing to close down the conversation that they had just embarked upon. "What are we going to do this weekend?" Sue-Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just looking forward to having a rest and being with you and Ella, on our own" she replied. "I guess it may be warm enough for us to swim in the pool. I've brought Ella's swim ring and baby life jacket just in case." JR smiled. "Sounds nice, sugar" he responded as he turned into the tree-lined driveway of the house. Sue-Ellen looked in wonder at the beauty of the place. When they last visited at Christmas the gardens were coated in a light covering of snow. Now the immaculately tended grounds were filled with spring flowers, the lake glistening in the distance. "I love this house" she commented as JR stopped the car at the front door. JR was less sentimental about the place. He liked the house but only because of what happened there between him and his wife. They were always happy and extremely loving here, he mused.

Once they were unpacked Sue-Ellen prepared Ella for bed. It was later than her usual bedtime at the point that they arrived and the baby was exhausted. JR settled his little girl in her cot whilst Sue-Ellen prepared dinner. She liked to cook for her husband. It was a sign of wifely care that she wanted to continue to demonstrate to him as often as she could. She had loved that aspect of life when they were at the townhouse and, although it was a luxury and privilege to have all their meals cooked for them at Southfork, she missed it. JR missed it too even though he didn't care to admit it. The future of his family now lay at Southfork and there was no point in hankering after those blissful few weeks at the townhouse. If, adopting the words of his father, he and Sue-Ellen were going to "play houses" together it would have to be here, at the weekends, he thought.

"Something smells good" he commented as he descended the stairs. Sue-Ellen was plating up their meal. He came behind her, put his arms around her waist, stroked her baby bump and kissed the nape of her neck. "Later, JR, we have plenty of time for that after dinner" she admonished him, although secretly she enjoyed his attention and desire for her. JR gave a low growl. He certainly had plans for her later, he thought. "I just love you, darlin" he commented as she walked to the table, plates in hand.

Back at Southfork dinner was proving to be a rather different experience. Bobby was still smarting over the Wainwright deal. His daddy wouldn't believe him when he said that JR must have been behind the disaster. "It's all about lack of communication, boy. That and you biting off more than you could chew" his father lectured him. "Granted, it wasn't a completely bad idea to try to steal that deal for the company from under the Cartel's noses. However, you should never have gone ahead without checking that it had my approval first. How do you think it must have felt for me to have to go begging to Marilee and that lot? We were staring at breach of contract and a whole lot of bother from the bank otherwise. You have a lot to learn yet, son, before you will ever be at the level of your brother."

Bobby sighed. Why was it that he could never seem to get anything right where Ewing Oil was concerned he wondered? "Now Jock, that's enough" Miss Ellie cautioned him. "I just want to have a quiet and peaceful family dinner for once." Whilst her husband had been speaking Miss Ellie studied Pamela carefully. The young woman looked tired and sad. She had made up with Bobby but deep down was beginning to realise that being married to a Ewing was likely to be hard work. She was also worried about her forthcoming surgery. She envied Sue-Ellen's weekend trip, away from all the drama that seemed to surround the family. Her thoughts then turned to how she might manage to escape the pressure of life at Southfork. There was no question about it. She needed to stick to her guns and go back to work. At least while she was at The Store she would gain a little respite and normality, she calculated.

"As from next weekend I will be back at work" she announced. Jock tutted in clear disapproval. "Daddy, it's Pam's decision and I respect it." Bobby sprang to his wife's defence. He was already angry with his father and didn't take kindly to him criticising Pam. "It's a stupid decision in my book" his father responded brusquely. "Here we go again!" Miss Ellie scolded. "I'm tired of us not being able to eat a meal without arguing. Jock, it's none of our business if Pam wants to return to work. It might do her the world of good given everything else that she is having to cope with." Jock muttered under his breath. He couldn't agree with his wife this time. How was it going to look? A Ewing wife working for a living? It was unheard of he thought as he continued to eat.

Dinner descended into awkward silence punctuated every now and again by some comment from Lucy about school or her friends that the young girl hoped might lighten the atmosphere. It didn't work. As Pam and Bobby climbed the stairs afterwards both of them felt thoroughly miserable.

Tbc

 **No chapters for the next 3 days- I'm going away. Happy spring bank holiday : )**


	108. Chapter 109

"Mmmm. That was sensational honey" JR told Sue-Ellen as he withdrew from her. They had woken early, having slept well, and one thing had led to another. As they snuggled back down under the bedclothes they heard what was now a familiar sound- Ella stirring in her cot. The routine of care that they had established for their daughter worked very harmoniously. JR got Ella up whilst Sue-Ellen went downstairs to prepare her breakfast. The little girl had started to be weaned onto solids, a milestone in her development that pleased her parents given her prematurity at birth. She was also developing more and more of a personality. She was bright and inquisitive yet calm and placid, rarely crying unless it was to signal a need that her parents had omitted to meet. The entire family adored her.

JR spooned strawberry yogurt into his daughter's mouth, delighted at Ella's obvious pleasure in the taste. He had been unsure at first but having watched his wife's patience and pace he had soon caught on. He marvelled at how motherhood had come so naturally to his wife. She just seemed to know what their baby needed. He wondered how the introduction of a second child might disturb things for them and resolved to enlist more hours of help from the nanny as his wife's pregnancy came closer to full-term.

Sue-Ellen handed JR a plate of bacon and eggs. "You eat and I'll take over with her" she told him. "What about you?" "I've just had a piece of toast. I'm okay honestly" she replied, sipping her coffee. When breakfast was over they dressed and moved outside onto the veranda. It was a bright day and the view over the lake was magnificent. The beauty of the place never ceased to amaze Sue-Ellen. "I do believe that it will be warm enough to swim a little later on" Sue-Ellen commented as JR turned over the pages of the daily newspaper that had just been delivered. He always kept in touch with the local news, the financial pages being the first that he generally turned to. Sue-Ellen entertained Ella with a succession of brightly coloured toys. "Peace" she commented as her little girl passed a rattle from one tiny hand to the other. "I know. It's wonderful" he responded, patting his wife's knee. She turned to face him. "I've been thinking about Bobby and Pam. They're having a hard time of it at the moment. I know that you and Bobby are in competition over the company but really, JR, is there that much to feel threatened by?" she began. "We are way ahead of them, you know. We have Ella and if the next one is a boy the future is assured." JR looked her directly in the eye. "And if not? Don't misunderstand me darlin, it's not that I wouldn't be happy with another girl. You know how I feel about the one we already have. It's just…" "I've been thinking about that too. If we have to have five children in order to produce a boy then that's what we will do. What's to stop us? It's not like we can't afford it and I'm still only young."

JR looked at her in awe. "You have it all worked out don't you?" he asked. "Yes I do. Bobby and Pam won't beat us. Together we are a force to be reckoned with. However, that's not really why I began this conversation. JR, I just think that you should lay off your brother for a while. Let him make his own mistakes at work and, as for his personal life, what will be will be." "Are you suggesting that there are real problems in his marriage?" he asked. He was intrigued. "What do you know, Sue-Ellen?" "I just know that Pam seems very unhappy at the moment and Bobby's not much better. Pam keeps telling me how hard she's finding it living at Southfork and she's worried sick about the potential for them to end up childless. The Marilee Stone incident isn't the cause of their problems. Their difficulties run way deeper in my opinion."

JR pondered for a few seconds on what Sue-Ellen had just said. If Bobby's marriage was about to implode all on its own it would do him no harm in his parents' eyes to appear to have had no hand in it. "Alright then, sugar, because I love you and trust you I will back off, at least for the time being." "And will you keep the mean dinner table comments about Pam to yourself too?" she asked. "I'll try. I can't give you any guarantees though. You can't know how much I hate that woman." Sue-Ellen nodded. She'd done her best, just as Miss Ellie had asked her to, minutes before they were about to set off for their trip. The truth was that the two women were becoming increasingly fed up with the constant back-biting and bickering that they had to endure each evening. Miss Ellie knew that JR had a real soft-spot where his wife was concerned and, accordingly, she had asked Sue-Ellen to intercede while she and JR were away.

The sun was growing ever warmer and the pool looked very inviting. "Come on, let's get changed. I can't wait to see how Ella responds to the water" she suggested, taking JR by the hand. Fifteen minutes later and they were back by the edge of the pool. "I'll just sit at the side. You get in with Ella" Sue-Ellen told JR. "Okay then. Come on my little angel. Let's see you swim." JR gently lowered his baby into the water. Ella gasped at first but then giggled in response to her father's smile and encouraging words. "I think she likes it" he commented, whirling her gently around in the water. Ella chuckled, causing her parents to laugh. "Try her in her ring" Sue-Ellen suggested. They were delighted to discover that Ella loved it. She squealed when her daddy took her for a ride around the pool, using her little, chubby arms to splash.

"Get in" he told Sue-Ellen. "It feels a little too cool" she responded, dipping her legs into the water. "Nonsense!" he told her. "Look Ella, your mama's coming in!" At that he pulled his wife into the pool by her legs, making sure that he caught her in his arms. He didn't want to hurt her in the condition that she was in. Sue-Ellen shrieked as the cool water hit her body. JR pulled her in for a kiss and then turned back to his daughter who was happily bobbing away on the surface. Right at that moment he felt the luckiest man in the world.

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	109. Chapter 110

Bobby and Pam waited anxiously for the arrival of Dr Scott and the rest of the surgical team. "Bobby I'm scared" Pam told him, sitting up in bed. "Don't worry sweetie, Dr Scott is an excellent doctor. She and her team will take good care of you" Bobby attempted to reassure her. "It's not the fact of the surgery that frightens me, Bobby. It's what's found and the implications for us in the future" she responded. "Look, we will manage, come what may. If we can't have children of our own there are other options to consider." "Adoption you mean? I hadn't thought about that, well not in any great depth, but I want us to have our own child" she replied sadly. "So do I but if the worst comes to the worst adopting a baby might just work for us." Bobby's words were sincere. He could contemplate adopting a child if he and Pam couldn't have a baby themselves. However, he was masking his serious reservations about how his daddy might react to them bringing what would, in his father's eyes, be a stranger's child into the family. They would just have to cross that bridge if and when they came to it, he thought.

He took her hand. "Whatever Dr Scott finds changes nothing between us, Pam. You do know that don't you?" he asked. In the wake of the disaster over the Wainwright deal and his father's harsh condemnation of his actions Bobby had taken a closer look at himself. Business was only part of his life and certainly not predominant he had decided. His love for Pam was the main thing but he had been neglecting her recently, all to gain one-upmanship over JR. It was pathetic really, he had reflected, and things needed to change.

"Do you mean it, Bobby?" Pam asked. "It's just that there's so much pressure from your daddy. It could affect the way that you feel about me in the longer term." Bobby shook his head vigorously. "No it won't. Pam, until I met you I was lost. Sure, there had been other women but nobody like you. The first time I met you I just knew. Whatever faces us we're in it together. For the rest of our lives." He bent over and kissed her gently on the lips demonstrating that he meant what he had just said.

There was a light knock at the door. Dr Scott and a medical student whom Pam had consented could observe her surgery entered. "Good morning Pam" she greeted her patient. "Mr. Ewing, good to meet you. I'm glad you are here." The doctor extended her hand to Bobby. "I wouldn't be anywhere else right now" he commented. "Excellent. Now I have to tell you both that there has been a development. I can't operate on you today." Pam looked at Dr Scott quizzically. "Let me explain. In the blood and urine taken for your pre-op we have discovered low but definite traces of the pregnancy hormone. As there is a possibility that you are in the very early stages of pregnancy it would be most unwise for me to carry out surgery on you today. I recommend that you attend my consulting rooms in another fortnight where I will do a pregnancy test either to confirm or refute it" she informed the couple.

Bobby's and Pam's minds were reeling. Eventually Bobby began to speak. "How can this be? I thought it was going to be very difficult for Pam to get pregnant!" "Difficult but not impossible if the initial test results are validated in a couple of weeks' time" the doctor responded. "I can't believe it!" Pam exclaimed, her expression transformed immediately from anxious to elated. "It's not for certain, not yet, so don't get your hopes up too high. I will keep my fingers crossed for you both. If you are indeed pregnant, however, then this may be your one shot at having a baby. I am confident in my overall diagnosis, you see. That means that there will have to be a lot of extra care and attention to the progression of the pregnancy. No risk taking behaviour and a whole lot of rest. Do you understand?"

"Yes yes! Anything. We will do anything!" Bobby replied, smiling widely at his wife and then the doctor. "So, get dressed Pam and I will see you in two weeks. Please give my secretary a call to make the appointment." Dr Scott shook hands briefly with Bobby, then Pam, and excused herself from the room taking the student with her.

Bobby threw his arms around Pam. "I can't believe it!" he told her. "It's not for certain yet, Bobby, but I'm praying that it turns out to be true. Oh, how wonderful would it be for us to have a baby?" she cried as she began to get dressed. "Bobby, unless and until it's confirmed I think it would be wise to keep this to ourselves. We don't want to get your parents' hopes up only to be disappointed" she suggested. Bobby nodded. "Yes, you're right. For the next couple of weeks this will be our secret. Pam, between now and then let's just take one day at a time and keep praying that we're gonna have a baby."

As they exited the hospital hand in hand another thought occurred to Bobby. "What do we say about the fact that you haven't had the surgery at home?" he enquired. "Hmm…I know, it was postponed because the anaesthetist was sick" Pam suggested. "Yes, that sounds convincing." Arriving at their car Pam suddenly contemplated her return to work. "Bobby, what do I say to Liz at The Store? I'm supposed to be starting back again this Saturday but I don't want to do anything to jeopardise my pregnancy, that is if I am pregnant. Then, if I really am pregnant, what do I do?" "First of all you tell Liz that you can't come back to work just yet for personal, family reasons. Then if it is good news you tell her you are pregnant, against all the medical odds, and you can't come back, on doctor's orders" Bobby replied firmly. Pam nodded in assent. Whilst she had been looking forward to returning to work the news she had been given today potentially changed things completely.

"Come on honey. Let's get you home. You need your rest" he suggested, opening the car door for her. "I don't need wrapping in cotton wool, Bobby!" she giggled. "Yes you do" he countered. In that moment the two of them felt as if all their problems were melting away.

tbc


	110. Chapter 111

JR and Sue-Ellen were running slightly late for dinner. JR had come home early and they had gone for their proverbial "lie down". Knowing how much Jock hated lateness they hurried to get dressed, making it to the stairs only seconds before the clock struck six. The rest of the family had already gathered and Sue-Ellen noticed that Pam was smiling, warmly and widely. Bobby also looked excited. "Come in the two of you. We have news" Bobby announced. "Alright, Bob, let me get a drink first. Club soda for you honey?" Sue-Ellen nodded, "Yes please."

As JR took his usual armchair, drink in hand, the attention of the entire family turned to Bobby and Pam. "Well?" Jock asked. "What is it?" "Pam's pregnant!" Bobby exclaimed. As the women jumped up to congratulate the young couple Jock appeared bemused. "But I thought…." "I know daddy! It's a miracle! It was all confirmed today at Dr Scott's office. That was the reason why Pam didn't have the surgery but we couldn't tell you the real reason until we knew it was official!"

Miss Ellie flung her arms around Pam. "It's so wonderful! Congratulations Pam. I know how much you wanted this" she cried. Sue-Ellen took Bobby's hand and kissed him. "I'm so happy for you both, genuinely. Just think, a house full of children. It will be so magical for the cousins to be able to grow up together!" Lucy's reaction was to jump up and down excitedly. "This is great!" she squealed "and so much the better because we are all together again!"

At that Jock rose to his feet, shook Bobby's hand and slapped his back. "Well done, boy! Pam, many congratulations. I take it that the plan to return to work has been reversed then?" Pam nodded. The Store was the last thing on her mind right now. Sue-Ellen glanced at JR. He was the only one to remain seated and, predictably, he looked annoyed. He also looked seemed to her to appear anxious. Suddenly, remembering where he was and keen not to attract his parents' attention, he too got up, put on a false smile and approached his brother and sister-in-law. "Fantastic news, little brother, Pamela" he lied, stooping to deliver a somewhat awkward kiss to her cheek. "Thank you, JR. That means a lot" Bobby replied.

Miss Ellie returned with a chilled bottle of champagne. Uncorking the bottle and pouring six glasses, two of them only partially filled, she toasted her son and daughter-in-law. "To Bobby and Pam and what will be the fourth member of the newest generation of the Ewing family. May this baby come into the world healthy and hearty" she proposed, raising her glass. "I second that!" JR responded disingenuously. Inside he was seething.

Sue-Ellen held him back as the family processed into the dining room. She took hold of his hand and held it to her abdomen. "We are way ahead of Bobby and Pam, remember that" she advised him. JR nodded and smiled, rather more sincerely this time than he had done before. He knew deep down that his wife was right subject to the glaring caveat that their next child just had to be a boy. It was either that or his wife and sister-in-law both producing baby girls, he mused. Not wishing to cause her any upset he stroked her baby bump and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Come on honey, I'm starving" he told her as he linked arms with her and entered the dining room.

Dinner was a lively affair but to JR it felt hard work. He was desperate for the meal to be over so that he could drop the act that he was forced to put on in the presence of the rest of the family. There was only Sue-Ellen who understood but he was confused about her reaction to Bobby's and Pam's news. She had seemed genuinely pleased for them. How could she be so confident that this development wouldn't threaten their position in the family or the company? he thought as he watched her and Pam chatting animatedly about baby names and décor for the room that would become their baby's nursery.

The truth was that Sue-Ellen was happy for her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. She recalled that fateful day when Bobby had kissed her. He had told her beforehand that all he wanted was a wife and child, just as JR had. She imagined that he would be a wonderful father- hands-on like JR but more easy going. As for Pam, she had witnessed the extent of the young woman's grief at the news that she might be infertile. The couple deserve to have a child, she thought. It shouldn't be just JR and I to experience the pleasure and privilege of parenthood.

The conversation then became a little more serious. "Pam is going to have to have a lot of rest. To protect the baby. Dr Scott was very definite in her advice about that" Bobby announced. "Don't you worry, Bobby, Sue-Ellen and I will make sure that Pam is looked after very well, won't we?" Sue-Ellen nodded and smiled. "Indeed we will. Pam won't be doing anything foolish while you are out at work" she reassured him.

Later, as they got ready for bed, JR quizzed Sue-Ellen as to how she really felt about Pam's pregnancy. Hands on hips and somewhat irritated she began to speak. "I am very happy for them both, JR. You need to be less insecure and far less jealous where Bobby is concerned. The fact is that by the time their baby is born we will have two of our own. Be grateful for what you have my love and stop looking over your shoulder. Jealousy is a dangerous emotion. Look what it almost did to us" she warned him sternly. JR nodded. "As ever you are right, darlin" he replied although he didn't subscribe for one moment to the advice that she had just given him.

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	111. Chapter 112

It was a balmy Friday afternoon by the pool at the lake house. JR had taken the day off so that he and his family could have an extended weekend at the place. They wouldn't be returning until Monday he had agreed after some tricky negotiations with his daddy. JR and Sue-Ellen lay on a large day-bed in the sun. Ella was asleep in her pushchair in a shaded area close to her parents. They had been playing in the pool with her, a pastime that the little girl thoroughly enjoyed but usually had the effect of tiring her out immediately afterwards. JR looked over at his daughter. She appeared cool and comfortable in her reclined position and showed no sign of waking.

He leaned in to kiss his wife. Gentle, feather-light kisses gave way to passion. In between kisses JR would whisper softly in Sue-Ellen's ear all the things he wanted them to do on their long weekend away together. Sue-Ellen giggled sexily and nodded her head in assent before resuming their kisses. Having ridden out the morning sickness which marked out each of her early pregnancies she was now feeling happy and healthy and this included her wanting to make the most of this precious time alone with her husband.

JR traced his finger around the edges of Sue-Ellen's bathing costume. He had noticed that his wife was absolutely blooming at this point in her pregnancy. She hadn't put on a vast amount of weight and, apart from her neat baby bump and most attractive, fuller breasts, she had retained her enviably long, slim legs, toned arms and pert derriere. Her long, dark hair was thick and shiny and her skin was glowing. She was still stunning, he thought.

Whilst he remained insecure following the announcement of Pam's pregnancy JR had listened to his wife's advice about being thankful for all that they had. He reflected on how close they had come in recent months to losing each other. That and the dreadful prospect of having to divide their time with their children between them chilled him. Visiting here was the nearest thing to having their own home and JR was keen to make sure that they experienced the calm and tranquillity of weekends spent together as a family at this place whenever possible. He knew, as did Sue-Ellen, that in the immediate aftermath of the birth of their second baby, they would be much more tied to Southfork. At this rate Ella would be almost walking by the time that her little brother or sister came into the world and, realistically, the two of them would need all the help that they could get.

They lay back in each other's arms, basking in the warm sunlight. Late afternoon was always the nicest time of day here, Sue-Ellen mused as she listened to the birds sing. Her thoughts turned to dinner. Soon she would have to get up and begin the preparations not only for her and JR to eat but also for Ella's evening meal. She wasn't annoyed one bit by the thought. She loved taking care of her family and she believed that she did so pretty well on the whole. JR pulled her in tight and kissed her again. Sue-Ellen submitted to him dreamily. They had the whole weekend in front of them and the thought made her feel very happy.

In downtown Dallas Scotty Demerast was sitting at his desk reading the case papers in The State of Texas versus Clifford Barnes. He sighed exasperatedly as he tried to formulate a credible defence to the charges faced by his client. In short, there wasn't one, he concluded. Whilst the lawyer was renowned for his ability to charm and persuade a jury, at the end of the day he was only as good as the evidence that he had to work with and, in this case, the outcome was obvious. Cliff would be found guilty and he was facing a sentence of many years in jail. He had already suggested to Cliff, in the company of his pleasant and sensible younger sister, that he consider a plea bargain in order to attempt to minimise the length of time that he would have to spend in custody and he was still waiting for his client's instructions in response.

Scotty's buzzer rang. "Mr. Demerast there is a lady here and she wants to see you" his secretary announced. "Ask her to make an appointment please, Cathy" he replied. "The lady says she has something very important to discuss with you about the Cliff Barnes trial" his secretary persisted. "She tells me that you ought to recognise her maiden name. It's Jane Alexander." Scotty shot out of his seat and exited his office. He knew the name all too well.

Standing at his secretary's desk was a tall, blonde woman. As she turned to face him Scotty was struck by her beauty. She also exuded wealth from head to foot, he noted. Extending her hand to him the woman introduced herself. "Good afternoon, Mr. Demerast. My name is Jane Du-Bois, formerly Jane Alexander. We need to talk." Scotty shook hands with the woman and guided her into his office. "Some tea perhaps?" he offered. She didn't look the type to prefer coffee. "That would be nice, thank you" she replied, taking a seat across from his desk confidently.

After the tea was served Jane made to speak. "Perhaps I should begin?" she enquired. "There is much to tell." Scotty nodded and reached for his pad and pen. His heart was pounding. All this time he had spent instructing enquiry agents to find the woman who had been at the heart of the blackmail story and here she was! It was unbelievable, he thought.

"My husband and I have been living in Paris. He is a very wealthy French industrialist. I met him whilst working as an interpreter in the city following my graduation. You see there was no way that I was going to spend a moment longer in Texas, the United States even. I fled this country because of all that happened to me. What your client did was reprehensible but by comparison to what was done to me it was nothing. I have information that could take down the powers that be in Texas, from the Senator's Office to the Police to the District Attorney's office. Now, after all these years I am finally strong enough to do it and I have the full backing of my husband and the rest of the family. Plus, with my husband's wealth and connections I have all the evidence that I require to do so."

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 **Thank you for all the reviews. I love the ideas and I am trying to follow some of them. Sorry that there haven't been many chapters lately. I have had a lot of work to do : )**


	112. Chapter 113

Scotty gestured to Jane with his hand to carry on speaking. Free-narrative was always a good place to start when interviewing a potential witness, he thought. He could always ask more detailed questions later.

"That night, the night I went out, I had argued with my then boyfriend. I was upset and angry with him. The relationship was dying on its feet and we both knew it. If I'd known what was going to happen with him, I'm sorry I can't speak his name at this point, I would never have gone into that bar. I would have gone straight home. Oh he seemed so charming at first and he was handsome and dancing and flirting with him seemed like fun. But I know what happened afterwards. I know I didn't consent to him taking me up against the wall in a cold, dark alleyway." The woman came close to tears. "And to make it worse it was the disgusting things he said to me while he was doing it, vile dreadful, misogynistic words, that have stayed with me to this day. The experience has affected me terribly. When I first met my husband, although I was attracted to him, I couldn't bear him to touch me because it always brought that experience back to my mind. It has taken years of specialist therapy and my husband's love and extreme patience to put that aspect of our married life right. It's only now, in my mid-thirties, that I am able to contemplate starting a family."

Scotty was impressed by the vehemence with which the woman spoke. More than that he believed her. Now was the appropriate time to adopt some legal focus to their conversation. "So you complained to the police straight away did you?" "I staggered from that alley direct to the nearest police station" she replied with conviction. They took my clothes from me and I consented to a medical examination. I was a virgin, you see. Even though I was young and inexperienced I knew the forensic significance of that in terms of the examination." This was news to Scotty.

"I know what the report subsequently said, or let's put it this way I do now, but it wasn't true that I was already sexually active. My boyfriend and I had never gone that far. The report had obviously been doctored. I returned home and told my mother right away what had happened to me. It was harder to tell my father but my mother dealt with that. There was such great upset in the home. My parents were simple folk and nothing like this had ever happened in the family before. My daddy started to worry that it might harm my reputation if people found out. You know the she must have asked for it type of attitude." Jane shook her head sadly.

"Then his father came. He asked to speak to my parents first. He had money with him but they didn't take any from him. He scared them with talk of the trial and what I would have to face. He threatened them that his son would have the best team of lawyers and by the end of the case I would just be some slut who made a malicious allegation against the clean-cut son of a Senator, all for the attention of a boyfriend who didn't want me anymore. Finally, he threatened that my father would lose his job if I went ahead with the complaint. He claimed to be on very good terms with the owner of the factory that my father worked at and could have him fired in an instant. By the time he had gone it was a done deal. I was going to withdraw my complaint. I asked if that might place me at risk for wasting police time or some such but the Senator had assured my folks that this wouldn't happen. So I did as I was told, the script having been worked out with my mother beforehand." Scotty stopped writing and shook his head. He wasn't yet sure how any of this might help his client albeit that what he was being told was shocking and truly repulsive.

"It doesn't end there, you know. He must have been a very disturbed young man in those days. He has clearly re-invented himself in more recent years, at least in the eye of the public. A few years later, in my final year at college, he wrote to me. I was shaken by the fact that he knew where I was living. The letter was ostensibly a letter of apology for what he had done to me however, on closer reading, there were elements to the sentiments that he expressed that were sinister and insidious. I I took a Zerox of the letter which was handwritten by him. Just instinct I suppose. I didn't know what to do. I was scared and just wanted him to leave me alone so I took the letter to the DA's office and told the attorney I spoke to that I was re-considering resurrecting my rape complaint. The letter was taken from me as evidence, I didn't tell him that I had already taken a copy, and I was told to leave it with him. Two days later I was contacted again. The Senator had dealt with his son and there would be no more trouble from him I was informed. I was also told that it had been the decision of the DA that I was not to be permitted to revive my complaint. The matter was concluded. I requested the return of the letter to which he responded that he hadn't received any such letter and I should just go back to college and forget all about it."

"I'm truly sorry for all that you have been through, Mrs. Du-Bois. However, I'm not clear what it is that you are offering?" Scotty asked. "I apologise for being oblique about that" she responded politely. "I'm offering to give sworn evidence against that man and the system that protected him. I have the letter and I also have the agreement of my former boyfriend to testify to the fact that we never had sexual intercourse. You must understand that when my family back here informed me that what happened was being used by that man as part of his political campaign I was angry. My anger has given me the strength, finally, to be able to speak out. The spin that you want to put on Mr. Barnes's actions all those years later is up to you, Mr. Demarest, after all you are the expert. However, something tells me that the McKenzie family and the relevant authorities won't want me anywhere near the witness box" she responded firmly. "You see there is also this. My husband and I are more than a match for even the most powerful players in the State these days. In fact, there are multiple business deals that have been made by my husband with the rich people of Texas. He only has to threaten not to renew those deals if their recipients continue to have any connection with the McKenzie family and their influence, as well as that animal's chances of ever being elected Senator, will be over."

She stood up and extended her hand once more. The woman was clearly a force to be reckoned with, Scotty thought as he shook her hand. "Mrs. Du-Bois, please remain in touch." Scotty was excited. This case had just got a whole lot better.

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	113. Chapter 114

Oblivious to the developments that were taking place in relation to Cliff's trial Sue-Ellen and JR were preparing to enjoy their evening together. JR had put Ella to bed enabling his wife to prepare dinner. As he came downstairs he saw her laying the table out on the veranda. It was a glorious evening and it would be very pleasant to eat outdoors, he mused. He studied Sue-Ellen. She had changed into a strappy sundress that had a pattern of poppies strewn over it. She had accompanied the outfit with a pair of wedge sandals. She is so beautiful, he thought, as he watched her complete her task and then venture back indoors to attend to the food.

JR uncorked a bottle of red wine to allow it to breathe and waited for Sue-Ellen to return. When she came back out she was holding two plates. Fillet steak, cooked just as he liked it, was the main event. She went back in and re-emerged with several side dishes, all expertly cooked. JR smiled at her and she returned the gesture warmly. No words were needed. The evening was turning out to be completely idyllic.

Conversation over dinner ebbed and flowed in a natural and peaceful way. The air was still and the temperature remained warm. The lake glistened in the light of the rapidly setting sun. "I don't want to go home. I wish we could stay here forever" Sue-Ellen said as she began to clear the dishes. "You must have read my mind, honey" JR replied, getting up to assist her. Suddenly Sue-Ellen began to feel queasy. JR noted that she was unsteady on her feet and rushed to help her. "Darlin? What's the matter?" he asked anxiously. "I don't know. I just felt a little bit faint" she responded, allowing her husband to guide her to the nearest chair. "It might be the heat" he suggested. Sue-Ellen nodded. She hadn't ever experienced this during the later stages of her pregnancy with Ella. "I'll make an appointment with Dr Scott, just to be on the safe side" she ventured as she started to come to. This pregnancy might not have been planned but the baby was certainly much wanted and Sue-Ellen wasn't going to take any chances.

Signalling that she now felt alright JR took her upstairs. He helped her out of her clothes and into bed. Whatever had just occurred quelled his desire to do all the things that they had spoken about earlier. Sue-Ellen needed to be looked after, he thought, and that was precisely what he was going to do. "I'm sorry" she said as she watched her husband get ready for bed. Earlier in the day they had both looked forward to their night together with great anticipation but that had changed in the instant that she began to feel below par. "Honey, there's nothing to apologise for. We have had a wonderful evening and for that I am grateful. Yes, making love to you tonight would have topped it off just fine but there's more to us than just sex" he responded. At that he got into bed, kissed her and snuggled down, his arm wrapped around her. "Go to sleep. You need your rest" were the last words that she heard before she drifted off.

Back at Southfork, dinner over, the family were enjoying one last night cap before they too would retire. Unexpectedly the telephone rang. Raoul answered it. "It's Mr. Barnes, Miss Pamela" he announced as he entered the living room. Jock bristled with irritation as Pam got up to take the call. "What does that fool think he is doing calling here at this time of the night?" he retorted rhetorically. "Jock! His trial is less than 3 weeks away and I imagine that things are very difficult for him right now" Miss Ellie replied. Her husband still lacked any sensitivity where their daughter-in-law's feelings were concerned, she thought. Jock harrumphed but did not attempt to respond.

When Pam returned Bobby was surprised to see that she was smiling. The subject of her brother was not usually the cause for happiness he pondered as he watched her take her seat. "Well honey?" he asked, curious to know the outcome of her conversation. "There has been an unexpected turn of events" she began. "A witness has come forward who wishes to help Cliff and at the same time obtain revenge." Bobby looked at her quizzically. "It's the woman who complained of rape but then retracted. I don't know all the ins and outs but it would appear that she has a totally different tale to tell than that of Mr. McKenzie and Cliff's lawyer regards this as a major breakthrough in his defence." "I for one am very pleased to hear that, Pam" Miss Ellie responded. "So am I" Bobby interjected. Jock remained silent. The downfall of Digger's son was something that he had been expecting ever since the criminal charges against him were brought. What possibly could have happened to turn what was regarded in the widest of circles to be an open and shut case into something much more complex, he wondered as he poured himself another large measure of brandy. On Monday he was going to make some enquiries of his own, he determined. He was also going to call JR first thing in the morning to inform him of the news. JR wasn't going to be pleased, he reckoned particularly if, as alleged, he was the one who had set Cliff up.

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	114. Chapter 115

The balance of the weekend at the lake house saw Sue-Ellen in rather better spirits, a fact that pleased JR enormously as this enabled them to enjoy each other's bodies in the ways that they had anticipated. However, Sue-Ellen was naturally risk averse and as soon as she got back to Southfork on Monday afternoon she rang to make an appointment with her obstetrician. JR wanted to accompany her. He hadn't had a lot to do with Sue-Ellen's ante-natal care in this pregnancy and he wanted to show that he was by his wife's side, supporting her.

"JR it's awfully sweet of you to want to come with me" his wife told him "but I'm almost certain it will be a waste of your time. I feel absolutely fine now. Like you said I must have just become a little over-heated" she reassured him. However, JR's protestations that he wanted to be with her when she saw the doctor eventually won the day.

On the day of the appointment Sue-Ellen woke up to a blinding headache which was most unusual and caused concern to both of them. "It's a good thing that you are being checked out today" JR advised her as his wife groaned in pain. "I will drive you there and back. You're in no fit state to be behind the wheel of a car."

Miss Ellie saw them off with a certain amount of anxiety. Sue-Ellen had been positively blooming of late but that morning she looked dreadful, she thought. She recalled the circumstances of Ella's birth and worried about another premature labour. Pam joined her as she watched JR's car accelerate away from the ranch. "You're worried about Sue-Ellen aren't you Miss Ellie?" she asked her mother-in-law. Miss Ellie nodded. "Yes Pam, I am. However, she's in good hands with Dr Scott, as are you" Miss Ellie smiled at her. So far Pam's pregnancy had been plain sailing. She had been a little sick in the mornings but it wasn't the debilitating and prolonged affair that Sue-Ellen had to endure. It was the family's insistence on her not doing anything for herself that was slightly frustrating even though Pam understood all too well the reason why they were all concerned.

An hour and half later and Dr Scott's examination was complete. As ever she remained inscrutable as she invited JR back into her office. Janet Scott wasn't in the business of causing undue alarm to her patients. "I'm glad you are here Mr. Ewing" she began. This doesn't sound good JR thought, taking hold of Sue-Ellen's hand. "Sue-Ellen has very high blood pressure. She fulfils the diagnostic criteria for a condition called pre-eclampsia. It's much more usual in first pregnancies and so I'm a little surprised by this development. Is there a family history perhaps?"

Sue-Ellen shook her head. "I'm sorry but I don't know. My mother has never really spoken about her pregnancies. Is this why I have been feeling, I don't know, off lately?" she asked. JR squeezed her hand. He didn't yet understand the risks and implications for his wife and unborn baby but his instinct was that the news that the doctor had just imparted was something of a blow.

"So, what now?" he enquired, trying his best to remain calm. "Well we need to monitor Sue-Ellen's blood pressure very carefully. Medication may be required. However, my main recommendation is total bed rest" the doctor responded. "How long for?" Sue-Ellen asked. "I'm only 23 weeks' pregnant and I have Ella to care for." "Sue-Ellen you are going to have to accept the help of your husband and extended family. If your condition develops into eclampsia you and your baby could die" Dr Scott advised with a degree of bluntness.

The young couple looked shell-shocked. JR decided to take control of the situation. "If bed rest is what it takes then that is what is going to happen. I won't risk the health of my wife and child. We have lots of resources available to us, thankfully, and we will use those to get through" he announced. The doctor nodded in agreement. "Your husband is right, Sue-Ellen. Yes it will be boring staying in bed all the time but this is what you have to do I'm afraid. I will be making regular home visits to monitor your progress and I will inform Dr Danvers as well. Do as I recommend and all will be well, honestly." At that Dr Scott stood, signalling that the consultation was at an end. She shook both their hands and sent them on their way. By the time that they had exited the building Sue-Ellen was in tears.

"Come on now, honey" JR told her putting his arm around her shoulders. "I will take good care of you and our baby. I promise." He was attempting to put a brave face on matters but internally he was in turmoil. He also fleetingly considered whether he was to blame for this. After all he had made Sue-Ellen pregnant so quickly after the birth of Ella. What if her body hadn't really had enough time to recover?" he pondered as he walked her gently to the car.

His thoughts then moved to a much darker place. What if they lost this baby and Pam then went on to produce the first male heir to the family? An icy grip took hold of his heart. There was no way that he could let that happen, he decided. If he had to wrap Sue-Ellen up in cotton wool and refuse to let her leave her bed then that was what he was going to do. There was no way that he was going to let his little brother and the Barnes woman beat them over this.

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	115. Chapter 116

The journey back to Southfork was a total blur for Sue-Ellen. Her head was pounding but she couldn't decide whether this was due to her medical condition, her upset or a mixture of both. JR kept glancing worriedly at her. Whilst he had been shocked by the news that they had received the time spent on the journey home gave him the opportunity to think. He resolved to provide to Sue-Ellen whatever support she needed. Ewing Oil would have to come a very remote second because it was now his responsibility, duty even, to ensure that his wife and unborn child remained safe and well.

He parked as close to the house as he could and hurried round to the passenger side of his Mercedes to open the door for his wife. Once he had done so he held out his hand to her to assist her to leave the car. The expression on her face caused him to change his mind. Instead, therefore, he reached in and swept her up in his arms. Sue-Ellen didn't attempt to resist him. She buried her head in his neck. His scent was very familiar and reassuring in the circumstances.

Carrying her indoors he was met first by Miss Ellie and then seconds later by Pam. "JR, what's the matter?" cried his mother. Pam observed the scene but decided not to say anything. Whilst she was anxious about the health of her sister-in-law she felt that anything she did say was only likely to annoy JR or be misinterpreted by him. As JR bypassed the two women and took to the stairs he paused. "Mama I need to get Sue-Ellen to bed immediately. Once she is settled I will explain. In the meantime please call daddy and tell him I won't be in the office today" he replied.

Reeling from the drama of what had just occurred Miss Ellie made the call as requested. Jock was perplexed but refrained from comment due to his knowledge of where Sue-Ellen and JR had just been. Miss Ellie then went into the living room and sat down. Pam joined her. The young woman could see that her mother-in-law's hands were shaking. "Don't jump to any conclusions yet, Miss Ellie" she advised. "If it was anything really serious Sue-Ellen would be in the hospital right now, not at home." Miss Ellie nodded but she didn't really subscribe to Pam's attempt to assuage her.

Upstairs JR took charge. He undressed Sue-Ellen and gently placed a nightgown over her head, helping her into it as he did so. He then held the bedclothes open for her. Once she was in bed he sat down next to her. Taking her face in his hands and never once taking his eyes from hers he began. "I'm looking after you now, honey. No arguments." "JR, I'm scared" she responded tearfully. "Look at me. Nothing is going to happen to you or our baby. I promise. You do trust me don't you?" At that point he kissed her lips firmly, a sign of reassurance and his strength of will where she was concerned. JR's actions touched Sue-Ellen but also served to calm her. He is so strong and so determined, she thought as she allowed him to settle her down.

JR remained with her as she drifted off to sleep. The events of the morning coupled with her headache had left her exhausted. He stroked her face as sleep captured her. The thought of losing her or their baby was abhorrent to him. Whatever it would take to navigate through this nightmare he was prepared to do, he mused.

Once he was sure that she was restful JR returned downstairs. Miss Ellie and Pam were in the kitchen. A simple lunch of soup and sandwiches was being prepared. As he explained what had transpired at the consultation with the doctor Miss Ellie became increasingly alarmed. When it came to the point about Sue-Ellen's condition having the potential to be life-threatening Miss Ellie and Pam both threw their hands to their faces in horror. "JR, I just don't understand. Sue-Ellen is young and usually very healthy" Miss Ellie protested. "I know, but these things apparently can happen" he replied. "The main thing is that through Sue-Ellen's intuition, call it what you want, her condition has been recognised and that means that her doctor is in control of it. Our part is to ensure that she remains in bed, resting, until further notice."

Miss Ellie was quietly impressed by the control that her eldest son was taking of a very difficult situation. He might not be perfect, far from it in many instances, she thought, however this time he appeared determined to do the right thing by his young wife and their unborn child.

"What about Ella?" Pam enquired. "She needs her mama." JR nodded. He didn't like Pam but she did appear sympathetic to his family's plight on this occasion. "She will be able to spend time in her mama's room with her every day. They have a very close bond and that can't be disrupted. However, the practical tasks of caring for her are going to have to come down to the rest of us and the nanny" he responded.

"Don't you worry, JR" his mother interjected. "Together we will manage. You'll see. In the face of adversity this family stands together. In just a few more months Sue-Ellen will have given birth to a healthy baby and all will be well" she reassured him. All three then sat down to their lunch although the reality was that none of them had much appetite any more. When they were done and Pam had exited the kitchen Miss Ellie decided to speak. "JR, I know that on many occasions I have condemned your behaviour but this time you should know that I am very proud of the way that you have responded to Sue-Ellen's problem, I really am." JR didn't know what to say. He was heartened by his mother's words. Kissing her lightly on the cheek he responded in the traditional way. "Thank you, mama. That means a lot."

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	116. Chapter 117

"Hey Ella! Let's go and see your mama" JR greeted his daughter. The baby held her arms up for her father to pick her up out of her cot. As he did so he kissed her cheek and then blew a raspberry against it causing the little girl to chuckle. In the aftermath of Sue-Ellen's diagnosis her life had been transformed by her husband into a safe yet monotonous routine of complete bed rest. The highlight of her days was the time spent with her daughter and JR. JR would take his breakfast and dinner on a tray with Sue-Ellen in their bedroom so that she was not alone. The mornings and evenings spent with his wife in this way represented a total departure from the life that they had enjoyed before but JR was determined that this was how it was going to be for as long as it took.

At regular intervals during the day a member of the family or the nanny would bring Ella to visit her mama. Sue-Ellen cherished these short yet sweet periods when she could cuddle or play with her little girl. All other times the care of the baby fell to Miss Ellie, Pamela or the staff. Secretly Miss Ellie adored taking responsibility for the care of her granddaughter although she was careful to remind herself that this little one was Sue-Ellen's and JR's and her caring duties would only be temporary.

Pam also enjoyed her more important role in the life of her little niece. Looking after Ella represented valuable practice for when she had a baby of her own to care for. In addition to that she was a most appealing child with a calm and sunny disposition that all the members of the family found charming.

JR opened the bedroom door. Sue-Ellen was sitting up in bed reading. "Jane Eyre" he noted, her favourite novel. She must have read that book hundreds of times he smiled to himself as he entered the room. "Here's mama." Ella kicked her chubby little legs excitedly at the sight of her mother, the bond between them in no way diminished despite the changed circumstances. Sue-Ellen looked up, smiled and put down her novel. She held her arms out at which the baby instinctively leaned forward towards her.

Placing their daughter in Sue-Ellen's arms JR delivered a gentle kiss to his wife's lips and sat down next to them. "Hard day?" she enquired. He looked tired. JR nodded and loosened his tie. Sue-Ellen began to play Ella's favourite game. "Row row row your boat" she sang to her little girl as she gently rocked her back and forth. The innocence and tranquillity of the scene contrasted sharply with JR's day at the office. One long round of meetings followed by strategy discussions with his father and Bobby had both frustrated and exhausted him.

Once the game was over Sue-Ellen settled Ella into the crook of her arm and began to cuddle her. The baby rubbed her eyes, a sign of tiredness. It was almost bedtime. As she gazed at her daughter's pretty face Sue-Ellen became overwhelmed with sadness. She wanted to be active as a mother and wife again, she thought. Lying in bed all day like an invalid just wasn't her.

JR interpreted her expression and empathised. It must be hard for her, he pondered as he watched his child drift off to sleep in her arms, a silent tear falling simultaneously and slowly down her cheek. He reached out and patted her arm gently. "I know" he offered. The two words were all that was needed to convey his sympathy and love for her. Once Ella was soundly asleep JR took her from her mama and returned her to the nursery where the nanny took over. He hoped that Sue-Ellen would brighten up over dinner. No matter how difficult things were for them as a family the time he spent in his wife's company every evening still represented the best part of his day.

In town Bob McKenzie was tidying his desk. He had worked late that day and was the only person left in the office. He wanted to clear the way for the upcoming trial of Cliff Barnes. He was required as a witness although he was hoping, anticipating even, a last minute guilty plea. He didn't exactly relish the prospect of having to air his dirty laundry in what he knew would be a courtroom packed with journalists.

Suddenly the door opened. He didn't recognise the woman who stood before him. "Can I help you, ma'am?" he enquired. "There's nothing you can do to help me- other than to disappear from the face of the planet, that is" she responded. Taking a closer look at her face McKenzie froze. This was the moment that he sometimes experienced nightmares about, a confrontation that he prayed would never take place. His researches all those years ago informed him that Jane Alexander had gone to work abroad, a fact that had been the source of much relief to him. If she could put what had happened behind her and move on so could he, he had reckoned.

She remained standing. Her expression was glacial and it unnerved him. "Why are you here?" he stammered. The proximity to Cliff's trial wasn't a coincidence, he calculated. "Why do you imagine?" she countered. "Look, if it's money that you want then I can get it for you" he offered. Jane threw her head back and laughed exaggeratedly. "I don't need your money!" she replied. "I can buy and sell you and your family many times over. I'm here because you have begun a political campaign in which I feature and that makes me extremely angry. It's one thing for you to do what you did to me but to capitalise on it by defaming me as a malicious liar is something entirely different."

She reached into her bag and placed a piece of paper on his desk. It was a copy of the letter that he had sent to her all those years ago. "Remember this?" How could he forget? After the original document had come to light his father had intervened and sent him into specialised psychological therapy. The sessions that went on for over two years were painful and challenging. However, his father was resolute that his son must be "cured" of the urges that afflicted him.

He snatched the letter causing her to laugh again. "Oh you can do what you like with that. It's only one of many copies that I possess. Don't think that you can get your hands on them either. I have copies deposited in places that you can never reach." He started to become angry but his tone didn't faze her. "I repeat. What is it that you want?" "I want you to stand down as candidate for State Senator and never to run again for that or any other political office. Otherwise I go to the press. How old is your father now? Eighty? Would a term in jail suit him at this stage in his life?"

"This is blackmail" he replied indignantly. She giggled. "Yes it is but I have a feeling that this time I am making you an offer that you can neither refuse nor report. Just to complete the picture you might as well have copies of these." She threw several more documents over to him. "More evidence of your guilt and that of your father" she informed him.

He was shaking, partly with fear but partly with rage. He knew that she had him where she wanted him. "You have until noon on Friday to withdraw from the election, otherwise I go public. It's time that I ruined your life one way or the other. You choose." At that she turned on her heels and left. McKenzie slumped into his chair, head in hands.

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	117. Chapter 118

Scotty Demarest sat working at his desk. He was going through the collection of affidavits and other documentary evidence that Jane Du-Bois, as promised, had provided to him. Her motivation had nothing to do with his client. It was all about the complainant in the case as far as she was concerned. Everything that she had given him made for sorry reading and had the infinite capacity to cause enquiries to be made regarding mass corruption in public office, however, he had concluded, sadly, that none of it actually provided his client with a defence. Cliff had attempted to blackmail McKenzie in his quest for revenge against the Ewing family. It mattered not one bit whether the information that Cliff had on the man was true or false, he thought as he concluded his reading and research.

His telephone rang. "It's the DA's office concerning the Barnes case" his secretary announced before putting the call through. "Scotty?" the man on the other end of the line began. "Good afternoon Mike, what can I do for you?" Scotty responded coolly. "I'm going to make your client an offer he can't refuse." "Go on." Scotty was intrigued. "I have been instructed to let you know that if your client pleads guilty to abuse of public office then we are prepared to withdraw the other charge." Scotty almost fell off his seat. "What has prompted this?" he asked. "I'm not at liberty to say other than that there have been certain interventions in the case." "Okay, I'll put it to my client" Scotty responded casually as he rang off. His opponent obviously didn't know that Jane had seen him. The sentence for abuse of public office, in terms, accessing a file unlawfully, was likely to attract the shortest of custodial sentences at worst but Scotty felt confident that he could get Cliff a "walk out."

Before picking up the telephone once more, this time to call Cliff, Scotty pondered about what must have led to this dramatic development. Somewhere, high up in the corridors of power in the State, the position of Mrs. Du-Bois and, more specifically, her billionaire husband had been considered. Any threats that they had issued must have been taken extremely seriously, the powers that be obviously wanting to bury the evidence that they had gathered. Scotty sighed. Corruption all over again, he mused, only this time the victim becomes the beneficiary. No matter, his client had had the luckiest break of his life and he now had to seal the deal before anyone changed their mind, he calculated.

Twenty minutes later the bargain had been struck. The trial in a week's time would not go ahead. Mischievously, Scotty enquired of his opponent what the trial Judge might make of this? He was assured that the Judge was the least of their problems.

Pamela announced the good news about her brother just before dinner. Jock and JR remained silent whilst Miss Ellie issued a diplomatic platitude about her being glad that the whole sorry saga was over and her hope that the Barnes-Ewing feud was at an end. The silence from the two older men astonished Bobby and Pam. They had expected anger, from JR in particular, but there was none. They watched as JR and his daddy sipped their drinks and then deliberately diverted the topic of conversation to the forthcoming charity rodeo.

"Well daddy? Have you nothing to say about Cliff's plea bargain?" Bobby asked impetuously. Jock shook his head. "What is there to say?" he responded "other than, I suppose, that it must be a great relief for you, Pamela, in your current condition especially" he replied matter of factly. Bobby smelt a rat. He looked to JR. His expression was inscrutable. "Well I'm going up to join Sue-Ellen, to keep her company. You all have a pleasant evening. I'll see you in the morning" he said as he re-filled his drink and left the living room. Conversation closed, in the way that Jock and his eldest son had mastered over many years of challenging business negotiations.

The truth was that Jock and JR had known that there was to be the surprise offer of an advantageous plea bargain to Cliff before it had even occurred. Their sources at the Senator's office and at Dallas Police had already been in contact. More pertinently, however, someone else had communicated with them- Monsieur Jean Du-Bois- with whom Ewing Oil had forged strong business links over the last few years. It was supreme irony, JR thought, that the Ewing family had to accept that the continuation of Cliff's prosecution had turned out to mean far less to them than the loss of lucrative business that would undoubtedly have occurred if they had refused to withdraw their support from McKenzie as candidate for the Senate. However, business was business and the future interests of Ewing Oil had to take precedence over settling a personal score. JR would get that termite Barnes good and proper one day, he had contented himself, as he entered the bedroom.

Sue-Ellen was sitting up in bed. She had made a determined effort to look nice for her husband that evening. She did not want him to feel that she was letting herself go. With the help of Miss Ellie she had bathed and then changed into an attractive mid-length nightgown that she had never worn before. Her hair, freshly washed, was tied in a loose bun, shiny tendrils framing her face. She had also applied some make-up lightly. Those small acts of attention to her appearance had lifted her momentarily from the torpor that had been enforced upon her by her husband and family. She had felt dreadful in the past few days. Other than Ella nothing seemed to interest her lately, not even her husband who was trying his very best to make sure that she maintained her emotional equilibrium. She didn't know what was happening to her. Depression? If so, she was not going to succumb, never, she thought as she waited for JR.

"Good evening, sugar" JR greeted her cheerfully. The sight of her arrested him. She looked so much better than she had in the last few days which was a great relief. "Good evening, JR, how was your day?" she asked, forcing a wide smile. He looked tired yet handsome in his dark blue suit. Before the diagnosis of her medical condition she would have been all over him when he returned from work but these days she seemed to have lost the desire for him that had forever burnt so strongly and compulsively inside her.

JR's desire for Sue-Ellen had not waned. Even when she was at her lowest ebb he remained extremely attracted to her. Seeing her as she was this evening he wanted her. However, he was frightened that if they did make love or even indulge in something that fell short of full sex he might harm her or their unborn baby. He kissed her as he sat down. Her lips remained static and she refrained from her usual, delightful act of caressing the back of his neck with her hand as she drew him closer to her. He was confused. "Honey?" he asked, drawing away from her in order to make eye contact. His blue eyes had taken on a sadder, greyer shade which touched her. "I'm sorry, JR" she responded flatly. "I don't know what's the matter with me. I wanted to look good for you tonight.." "You do!" he interjected "you look amazing and that's why I wanted to kiss you, properly, lovingly. Is it because I caused you to be the way you are? Do you blame me, Sue-Ellen for getting you pregnant again so soon?"

He appeared almost as if a young boy again, expecting admonishment, she thought, as she took his hand in hers. "God no, JR. Why would I do that? This baby was created in an act of pure love for each other. Okay he wasn't planned but we both want him, very much, and I want you, I really do." It was the first time that she had adverted to the gender of their baby. The references to it being a boy had been deliberate. If her spirits were low she didn't want her husband's to be so as well. He didn't deserve it. JR smiled and then sighed in relief. "So we are good then?" Sue-Ellen nodded and then initiated another kiss, this time much more passionate and, apparently, heartfelt. JR's enjoyment was disturbed by a knock to the door. Their dinner was being served. "Afterwards?" JR asked as he began to eat. "Afterwards we will carry on where we left off" she promised. It was all an act on her part, because she didn't feel the way that he did, but it was one that she was going to carry off, for her sake and that of her marriage.

tbc


	118. Chapter 119

JR undressed and got into bed. In accordance with her promise Sue-Ellen permitted him to kiss her. JR took her in his arms and lay her down so that he was leaning over her. Ordinarily she enjoyed him taking control but this time she felt unnerved by it. Almost mechanically she placed her right hand at the back of his neck and stroked it. JR made a low growl of appreciation which spurred her on to continued compliance. After a minute or so she relaxed and began to enjoy being close to her husband once more. Kissing him had always been a great pleasure for her and more times than not it got her in the mood for more.

His hand wandered to her shoulder where he deftly let the strap of her nightgown slip exposing her breasts as it did so. As his hand made its way to her left breast she shuddered ever so slightly. JR was too carried away to notice. He loved the feel of her, he thought, as he carried on kissing and fondling her. Sue-Ellen's mind raced. They had done this hundreds, thousands even, of times before and it had always been wonderful. Why did it now feel so forced and unnatural? She wondered.

Straining to enjoy what was happening she let her hand stray to his back. JR had a broad back and shoulders, masculine features that she had always found very attractive. This time, however, as she stroked him, permitting herself to move further to his buttocks for the briefest of seconds, she felt nothing. JR's hand moved to the hem of her nightgown and settled on her inner thigh where it lingered, stroking her gently. Sue-Ellen froze as he moved higher up. As he was about to place a finger under the leg of her panties she pushed him forcefully away from her. "No, JR! Stop! Please" she cried. JR was shocked by the vehemence with which she had suspended their love-making. "Why Sue-Ellen?" he asked sadly.

Sue-Ellen felt guilty but also, in keeping with her husband, sad. She took his hand in hers. "I'm worried it might hurt the baby" she responded. She wasn't totally lying because she had wondered about the effect on their child and her condition generally if they resumed normal marital relations. However, at the same time, the tenderness and gentleness with which he had treated her didn't appear to have the capacity to be harmful and that evening she had been feeling relatively alright in herself. "I'm sorry, honey" he replied, increasing her feeling of guilt "you know that I would never do anything to harm you or our baby." His obvious sincerity wounded her. "I know. I'll ask the doctor for advice about this when I next see her." JR nodded in response, appeased by his wife's assurance that her rejection of him was only on medical grounds.

"Come here" he beckoned, snuggling down with her under the bedclothes. "Let's go to sleep." As she lay in his arms she reflected on what had just happened between them. She had lost enthusiasm for the man that normally she couldn't get enough of. She knew that she still loved him though and she definitely could not envisage being with anyone else. What is wrong with me? She pondered worriedly.

The following morning, after JR had left for work, Dr Scott arrived for one of Sue-Ellen's regular check-ups. Sue-Ellen liked her doctor enormously. She also admired her greatly, not only in terms of her medical skills, but also for her common sense and total discretion. Pam let the doctor in. "And how are you today, Pamela?" Dr Scott asked as she entered the hallway, medical bag in hand. "I feel just fine, thank you" the young woman responded, smiling as she did so. "Excellent. We have an appointment scheduled for next week don't we?" Pam nodded. "How is your sister-in-law?" she then enquired. The doctor's years of experience had taught her that sometimes it was the family rather than her patient who possessed the most pertinent information.

"She seems alright health-wise but my mother-in-law and I had noticed that she seems a little down recently" Pam told her. "Hmm, it's not unusual for a woman in Sue-Ellen's position. Thank you. I'll go straight up if that's alright?" She found Sue-Ellen sitting up in bed sipping a cup of tea. "Good morning. How are you feeling today?" she enquired brightly. "I feel okay, honestly" Sue-Ellen began. "However?" Janet sensed that there was qualification to her patient's answer. "Doctor, would it be safe for my husband and I to resume…" "Having sex?" The doctor was straight-talking and wanted to spare Sue-Ellen her obvious embarrassment. Sue-Ellen nodded. "If you both want to and provided he is gentle and steers clear of any pressure on your abdomen then that's fine" the doctor informed her as she began to take her blood pressure meter from her bag.

"It's just, it doesn't feel right" Sue-Ellen confided. Janet sat down next to her. "Well if it doesn't feel right don't do it. Your intuition is very important. Tell him he will just have to wait until you have brought this baby into the world and you are feeling your old self once again." "I wish it were so straightforward, doctor. I just seem to have no desire for him these days, not even to let him kiss me or touch me. Last night I positively recoiled from him. I don't know what's wrong. I don't want to feel this way about him and I don't want to upset him either because he has been so very good to me." Sue-Ellen began to cry. Janet offered her a tissue. "Come on now, Sue-Ellen, this will do no good for your blood pressure" she advised kindly.

"Do you think that you may be a little depressed? Bed rest is very hard for most women who have to undergo it" Janet asked. Sue-Ellen nodded tearfully. "I know I have to stop being silly and pull myself together for the sake of my husband and child." Janet shook her head. "It's not always quite so easy though, is it? Look, you have fallen pregnant a second time very quickly. Your first child was born premature at a time when you were finding things, well, difficult and now you are poorly. Do you think that your lack of attraction to your husband could be related to all of that?"

"The fact that I'm pregnant again isn't JR's fault" Sue-Ellen replied determinedly. She had cottoned on to her doctor's suspicion about the circumstances of her conception earlier on by some of the things that Janet had alluded to but they had never tackled the issue head-on. "If anything it's my fault. I initiated it, that night, not him. I could have stopped him but I didn't. It wasn't a plan on JR's part to get me pregnant for a second time to rein me in. I know that's what you think but, with respect, you are wrong."

Janet patted her hand. "It doesn't matter what I think. However, from the vigour of your defence of Mr Ewing, I'm confident that the feelings you had for him will return very soon. In the interim do you wish me to refer you for some help with your depression?" "No thank you. I'll be alright, as you say, once this baby is born everything will be just fine."

The conversation had reached a natural conclusion. The doctor took the blood pressure cuff and applied it to Sue-Ellen's arm. She sighed as she took the reading. "It's higher than it was the last time I came, Sue-Ellen. You have to avoid becoming upset. For now, I'm sorry but you are going to have to remain in bed."

Tbc

 **Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I do appreciate them : )**


	119. Chapter 120

The atmosphere at the Ewing breakfast table was sombre. It was the day of what was now listed as Cliff's plea and sentencing hearing, his trial having been vacated by the court. Pam was nervous, a fact readily appreciated by her husband. "What is your brother looking at realistically?" Jock asked somewhat tactlessly. Miss Ellie looked up from the newspaper and Lucy stopped eating in anticipation of the answer.

"Scotty says a short custodial sentence at worst and probation at best" Bobby responded for her. Pam felt sick. The last few weeks had been incredibly hard on her. Her daddy had fallen off the wagon once again and, between looking after him and trying to keep Cliff's spirits up, she was exhausted. At least her marriage to Bobby was on an even keel, she thought. The news of her pregnancy had definitely brought them closer after what had been a fairly rocky patch between them.

JR entered the dining room. Pam wasn't the only member of the family to feel exhausted these days. He had been awake most of the night worrying about Sue-Ellen. Yet again she had rebuffed his advances towards her. He had only wanted to kiss and cuddle her, having accepted without hesitation the lie that she had told him that her doctor had said that full sexual intercourse would be risky to her health and that of their baby. He hadn't really estimated how much her physical affection meant to him before. Now she was withholding it from him he felt sad and confused. It wasn't as if they weren't getting on. She would say nice things to him and take an interest in what he had been doing but when he came to touch her she recoiled from him. He'd asked her to explain why things had changed so dramatically between them. Had he made her angry? If so, he would do whatever it took to fix it. However, she simply said that her condition made her feel this way and then refused to speak about it anymore.

"Good morning everyone. I'm off to the office. Bob, I take it that you won't be in today?" he asked as he drank his cup of coffee quickly. "No, JR" Bobby responded calmly. His older brother was just trying to get at Pam and Bobby was in no mood for his nonsense. "Well I will be off then. See you there, daddy." Jock nodded. The latter was going in to the office, but only for a short while, as he intended to be present at Cliff's hearing. If the Ewing name was mentioned in the courtroom there would be a lot of trouble, he mused as he finished his bacon and eggs.

As Miss Ellie ushered Lucy off to the end of the driveway to catch the school bus Bobby and Pam came out and got into Bobby's car. "I do hope it all turns out well" Miss Ellie advised them as she returned. Bobby nodded. "Thank you, mama. I'll give you a call when it's all over."

His Honour Judge Edward McKinley was sitting in his Chambers waiting for his day in court to begin. He'd got in early, having been warned that there would be a massive press presence for the hearing which he wanted to avoid upon his arrival. He pondered on what he had, in effect, been instructed to do about the former district attorney who was to appear in front of him. Judge McKinley was establishment through and through. He readily acknowledged that the performance of his job would, at times, be influenced by political and other pressures. His duty on these occasions was to sacrifice the so-called independence of his judicial office and do as he was told. There must be a good reason for it, he contemplated, as he stood to put on his robe.

The new district attorney for Dallas took his seat at the Bar. He was nervous. He had been briefed to expect a media storm following the hearing. He nodded and bade good morning to his opponent, Scotty, who was sitting across from him. Scotty returned the gesture. Cliff sat by him, his stomach in knots. Behind them the courtroom was packed. Bobby and Pam had managed to occupy the row immediately behind Cliff. Journalists from all over the State together with a select bunch of national commentators jockeyed for the most advantageous remaining seats towards the front of the courtroom. Jock slipped in at the very back. Two minutes later he was surprised to see that he had been joined by JR. "I just wanted to make sure that nothing detrimental as far as we are concerned is said, sir" he informed his father. Jock was amused by the identical nature of his and his son's thinking. "That's exactly why I came" he responded.

A stern looking court usher ordered the crowd to stand as the Judge came in and took his seat. The clerk read out the indictment which consisted of one count only- abuse of public office. "How do you plead?" "Guilty" Cliff stated. Bobby squeezed his wife's hand. She was shaking. The assembled company listened attentively to the prosecution opening which had been pre-prepared carefully. His words had been chosen with precision. The press scribbled furiously into their notepads. Finally, Scotty stood up to mitigate.

"Your Honour, Clifford Barnes is a man of previous good character. He has pleaded guilty to this charge thus sparing the State the expense of a trial and I know that Your Honour will take these factors into account when deciding on an appropriate sentence. My client endured a difficult childhood in the care of one parent only, his elderly father is now infirm and relies on his son completely for support. Mr. Barnes worked long and hard to qualify as a lawyer. His background and lack of resources were obstacles that he had to overcome to fulfil his ambition. He entered the office of the District Attorney having turned down much more lucrative positions in private practice. He did so because of his sense of public duty. He was a good district attorney. His conduct during trials and in dealing with his opposing counsel was known to be impeccable. Then he made the mistake of accessing a file…"

The reference to accessing the file momentarily caught JR's attention. If that fool Barnes had instructed his lawyer to mention Sue-Ellen or anyone else in the family he would be dead meat, he calculated.

"out of curiosity…. " JR breathed an audible sigh of relief. "….. and now he has lost what was likely to be a promising career in the law. I respectfully submit that what has happened to my client is more than enough punishment. His admittedly foolhardy actions have cost him dearly. Your Honour can, of course, pass a custodial sentence for this offence but I would ask in the circumstances for you to consider a probation order. Can I assist you any further?" Scotty finished. He had pitched the mitigation perfectly.

The Judge cleared his throat. "Stand up Clifford Barnes" he commanded. Cliff and Scotty, in accordance with the usual etiquette, both stood. "You have been convicted of a very serious offence. Abuse in public office cannot be tolerated in this State or indeed any other. I cannot begin to fathom why you acted as you did. Curiosity simply does not cut it as mitigation in this Court. However, I do take into account all the other matters that Mr. Demerast has referred to. The sentence that I pass is…. "

tbc


	120. Chapter 121

"Six months' imprisonment. Take him down please." The Judge beat a hasty retreat back into his chambers as the courtroom erupted. Pam buried her head in her husband's shoulder. Jock slipped out of the building before the cameras could be turned on him. JR should have done likewise but he couldn't resist remaining. McKenzie was not the sole sacrificial lamb in so far as those in power were concerned, he calculated. What had started as a dismal day had just become a lot better, he grinned, as Cliff was marched past him flanked by the court bailiffs. For a split second the two men made eye contact. JR threw his head back and laughed in Cliff's face. "You're ruined, Barnes. Once a loser always a loser" he shouted. Cliff made no attempt to respond.

The press divided into two camps. The serious journalists sped off in pursuit of the district attorney. They wanted answers about why the more serious charge against Cliff had been withdrawn. All they were going to receive, however, was an anodyne, pre-worded script that had been devised by the prosecutor's press agent. Those who worked for the more frivolous publications were after a different sort of story altogether. They wanted the human angle. They also wanted to know where the Ewing family fitted in. Being at the very back of court gave JR the opportunity to escape. However, he knew that he had been spotted. Sue-Ellen and his mama would probably be unimpressed but JR didn't care. He'd got what he came for. A non-custodial sentence for Cliff would have been a nightmare but, thankfully, the Judge had exercised common sense, he mused, as he ran down the court steps and off into the street.

"That's his sister!" shrieked a female reporter, pointing at Pam who was manifestly devastated. Bobby helped her to her feet as the journalists rushed towards her. "Mrs. Ewing? Have you anything to say about your brother's sentence?" one of them asked, poking his Dictaphone in her face. "Get out of our way!" Bobby shouted, pushing the man's machine away from his wife. "Mr. Ewing? Why was your brother here this morning?" another asked. "Ask him!" Bobby replied, displaying obvious annoyance.

He took hold of Pam's hand. She was shaking more than ever. There was no room for manners in this situation, he thought, as he began to barge his way down the aisle of the courtroom. They both kept their heads as low as they could, wishing to thwart the photographers standing in front of them. As they reached the court door, the reporters in hot pursuit, they now faced the others, the briefest of press conferences with the District Attorney already over.

"Mrs. Ewing? Any comment?" a glamorous young woman, whom Bobby recognised from the local television news, asked as they passed by. Pam shook her head and continued to look at the floor, permitting her husband to guide the way. As they approached the court steps a very determined reporter placed himself between them and Pam lost Bobby's hand. Bobby attempted to get back to her, pushing people out of the way as he did so. "Leave her alone!" he shouted. Before he could return to her Pam made the impetuous move to head for the steps. She needed to get out of there, to breathe in fresh air, she thought, her mind in turmoil. She was dizzy, hot and then faint. As she placed her foot on the top step her legs gave way beneath her. Bobby reached out to try to steady her but to no avail. "She's falling!" he cried. "Someone help her!" A female photographer held her arm out but it was too late. Pam's fall down the entire flight of steps had almost a slow-motion character to it. She landed on her front, blood pumping onto the pavement from a wound to her head. Bobby flew down to her. "Look at what you have done!" he shouted. "She's pregnant! Don't just stand there, someone call an ambulance!"

As he waited for help Pam murmured. "Pam, you've had a fall. Stay still, honey" Bobby advised. He was horrified by the state that she was in. "My baby?" she questioned as she began to come to. Bobby shook his head. "I don't know. The ambulance is on its way. They'll take good care of you and the baby. Don't worry" he replied. The journey to Dallas Memorial Hospital was a blur for both of them. Pam continued to drift in and out of consciousness whilst Bobby was in turmoil. If they lost this baby it would be JR's and Cliff's fault in equal measures he seethed as he watched the paramedic attend to his wife.

The Emergency Room at the hospital was packed when they arrived. However, the critical nature of Pam's condition enabled the paramedics to bypass the waiting area. A young doctor was expecting them. "Mr. Ewing, I realise that you are very worried but I need to examine your wife urgently. Please can you step outside?" he asked. Bobby did as he was asked. He then realised that none of the family would know what had happened. He walked to the nearest payphone and dialled. "Mama? It's me. There's been a terrible accident at court and Pam's hurt. We're at Dallas Memorial." "I'm on my way. I'll call your father first" Miss Ellie advised, attempting to remain calm for the sake of her son. Inside, however, she was quaking.

Tbc

 **The sentencing hearing follows the English system with which I am more than familiar. I hope it's at least a little bit relevant to the US system ; )**


	121. Chapter 122

After calling Jock Miss Ellie grabbed her jacket. "Teresa, I have to go to the hospital. Pam's been hurt. Please look in on Sue-Ellen for me while I'm gone." "Yes ma'am" the servant replied. As she drove away from Southfork the Ewing matriarch reflected on the two young women who had married her sons.

Sue-Ellen, the epitome of Texan beauty and grace, she mused. From the day that JR first brought her home Miss Ellie had liked her. Sue-Ellen didn't take JR up on his advances for his money. The fact was that she could have had pretty much any man she wanted, someone from an even richer background than her son if she had so desired. No, Sue-Ellen was with JR because she loved him. More than that she understood him and, whilst their marriage hadn't exactly been trouble free, she was the one person who could soothe him and make him happy.

Miss Ellie began felt guilty. She and Jock had pushed at every turn of the way for Sue-Ellen to have JR's baby even though she had barely graduated from college when she married him and had years of child-bearing before her. Her pregnancy with Ella had not been easy. The aftermath of the birth had seen her embattled, isolated and scared. She was the one who had persuaded the young woman to return to Southfork, her motives entirely selfish. She, like Jock, wanted her granddaughter under their roof. Eventually Sue-Ellen had forgiven JR for whatever he had done with Julie Grey only to be rewarded with another pregnancy, this time unplanned and within weeks of her having just given birth. She had witnessed Jock's reaction to the news with a sense of dismay. He spoke about Sue-Ellen and her children as if they were Ewing possessions. "Go out and fetch them back" had been his mantra to JR after she left. "Otherwise destroy her" he added in a fit of pique when it appeared that Sue-Ellen was about to divorce his son. Miss Ellie had stood back and never challenged him. None of them had considered Sue-Ellen's feelings as they each campaigned in their own different ways for her to return.

After the briefest spell of peace and calm there was trouble for Sue-Ellen once more. The young woman was ill, a complication of her pregnancy that could never have been predicted. It was all too obvious that she was struggling with her condition and the limitations imposed upon her life by the same. Although JR denied it Miss Ellie knew that there were difficulties between him and his wife. The physical froideur between them was palpable. Other than time spent with Ella when Sue-Ellen did appear to brighten in mood Miss Ellie had noted that the young woman would tend to lie in bed simply staring into space. Picking up a book or magazine was a façade on her part. No pages were ever turned she had noticed, the young woman merely looking but not taking anything in.

Miss Ellie worried that JR might not persist in his valiant attempts to reconnect with Sue-Ellen. She knew only too well that her son's patience had its limits. If he wasn't getting what he wanted from his wife how long would it be before he went elsewhere for his needs to be fulfilled? She had to take action and she would do once the current crisis was over. Sue-Ellen was a wonderful mother and, until recently, a patient and extremely loving wife. JR would be lost without her. She had to make him see that.

Her thoughts then turned to Pamela. Unlike Sue-Ellen nobody had invested in Pam's development when she was young. The young woman had virtually brought herself up, shielded from her daddy's wild excesses by a protective yet feckless older brother. Pam had been taught to believe that anyone who bore the Ewing name must be evil. How must she have felt when she first met Bobby and realised that not all of them were the demons that she had been indoctrinated to believe? Miss Ellie wondered.

Pam was sweet and kind, more open and less reserved than Sue-Ellen. She lacked her opposite number's elegance and poise but she was undeniably pretty and she and Bobby made a most attractive couple. Miss Ellie harboured suspicions that Pam had rather more in the way of a past than Sue-Ellen. Pam had gone off into the world of work after High School, shunning college on financial grounds. Miss Ellie wondered what those early years of adulthood had held for her. Had there been other men? She asked herself. It didn't matter, she decided, because Pam was devoted to Bobby despite the immense family difficulties that arose from their union.

Miss Ellie's mind then raced to Pam's baby. A knot of fear tightened in her stomach. She knew nothing yet about the nature of her daughter-in-law's accident but any accident to a newly pregnant woman, especially one with a medical history, had the capacity bring on a miscarriage. Part of her wished that they had never gone to court that day but she dismissed the sentiment as unrealistic. Pam was never going to ignore her older brother when he was in trouble. Miss Ellie liked Pam. She was also growing to love her in the way that she had done with Sue-Ellen after she and JR married. Even Jock appeared to be more accepting of his youngest son's choice of bride these days. There was only JR who remained unmoved in his detestation of her.

As she entered the hospital car park Miss Ellie sighed. In the face of adversity for her daughters-in-law she had to remain strong. Walking into the reception area of the emergency department she was greeted by her son and her husband. "They've been in there with her for ages" Bobby informed her, pointing to an examination room on the right hand side of the corridor. "Just be patient, Bobby. She's in the right hands" his mother reassured him.

After what seemed like an age the doctor emerged. All three of them stood up. "I've stitched the head wound. It wasn't as deep as it looked" he began. "Now we need to x-ray her skull just to make sure that there is no underlying fracture. Other than that it's just cuts and bruises. Your wife has been very lucky, Mr. Ewing." "And the baby?" Bobby asked anxiously.

tbc


	122. Chapter 123

"A faint but definite heartbeat has been detected. However, it is early days yet and certainly far too soon for me to express optimism about the pregnancy. I'm going to call her obstetrician right now to inform her of the accident. I imagine she will come straight over" the doctor replied.

Miss Ellie squeezed Bobby's hand. "Thank God" Jock muttered. Pam might be a Barnes but that baby inside her is a Ewing, he thought as he patted Bobby's back. "Can we see her?" he asked the medic. "Yes as soon as she is back from the x-ray department. A nurse will show you in." At that the young doctor turned on his heels. "Doctor? Thank you so much" Bobby stated. In his panic he had almost forgotten his manners. "It's my job" the young man replied in a matter of fact tone.

JR returned home just after lunch. His victory over Cliff had been vastly overshadowed by the news about what had happened to Pam. It had caused his thoughts to turn to his own wife and her health and wellbeing. Suddenly he felt anxious and protective towards her. They had barely spoken that morning, her rejection of him the previous evening still raw. JR wanted to see Sue-Ellen, to be with her, to try to understand things from her perspective.

As he entered the bedroom he found her with Teresa and Ella. Sue-Ellen was building a tower of toy blocks on her tea tray which the little girl took great pleasure in demolishing with a swipe of her chubby little hand. Teresa and Sue-Ellen clapped their hands and were delighted when Ella in turn giggled and mimicked their actions.

"Good afternoon. Who's my clever girl then?" JR bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead. Ordinarily he would have then gone on to kiss Sue-Ellen but today he felt inhibited. Teresa took her cue by picking Ella up. "I think she's ready for a nap now. Mrs. Ewing, shall I return Ella to the nursery?" "Yes please. Thank you for bringing her in to me" Sue-Ellen responded, giving her little girl a warm hug.

"Any news about Pam?" Sue-Ellen asked once Teresa and Ella had gone. She had been deeply saddened to hear that her sister-in-law had been hurt. "Not yet, darlin. She'll be okay, you'll see" JR reassured her. He didn't approve but he couldn't deny that his wife and Pam had become close friends, even more so since the latter had become pregnant. "Teresa told me about Cliff's sentence" Sue-Ellen continued. "Excellent news, honey. That idiot deserved it" JR commented as he took off his jacket and loosened his tie. "Perhaps now he will realise that no good can come of messing with this family."

Sue-Ellen shook her head sadly. "No, JR. I feel really bad about the part that you and I played in it. Plus, there's Pam's feelings to consider" she responded forcefully. JR sighed. She'd never understand but there was really no point in arguing with her, particularly in her current condition. He sat down beside her by the bed. "Sue-Ellen, we need to talk. I'm worried" he began. Sue-Ellen knew what he was going to say. Her eyes filled with tears. Pre-empting him she interrupted. "About last night, well about all our nights together recently. I don't know what to say, JR, other than I'm sorry."

"We have to address this problem, honey, because it's getting me down, frankly." Sue-Ellen looked shocked. JR wasn't one for expressing his feelings much and when he did he wasn't quick to admit weakness. She had thought that he was accepting of the fact that until their child was born intimacy between them was off the cards. Clearly not, she considered, from his reaction to her rejection of him yet again last night.

"Don't you love me anymore?" JR asked sadly. "Of course I do" she replied. "Well then why can't you stand to have me touch you these days? I accept that we can't do all the things that we used to because of your condition but kissing and touching can't do any harm. Why won't you let me, Sue-Ellen?" Sue-Ellen began to cry. JR always hated to see her that way. He made to touch her arm, to comfort her, but was devastated to see her shirk away from him again. "You see, you did it again! How do you expect me to feel when you behave like that towards me?" he asked. He was becoming frustrated with her, a little angry even, although he hadn't intended to. "I don't mean to, my love. JR, I think I'm depressed, I mean really depressed" she informed him "and I think it's time I had some proper, medical help. I don't want to lose you, I don't. I want to regain the physical pleasure that I always used to experience when you acted lovingly towards me. We are young. We should be able to enjoy that side of our marriage. I miss it but, somehow, the more I force myself to attempt to resume being close to you the greater the block."

"Shall I call Dr Danvers then? Ask his advice?" JR asked. Whilst he didn't want to admit that his wife was suffering from some sort of mental illness they couldn't just carry on as they had been, he thought as he went to stand. Sue-Ellen nodded tearfully. "Yes please." "Sue-Ellen, remember I love you, only you" he finished as he went to leave the room.

As he walked down the stairs JR reflected on how close he had come recently to betraying Sue-Ellen. Only two days earlier he had contacted an escort, Serena Wald, with whom he went back years. They had arranged to meet at her apartment across town. JR excused himself from the office mid-afternoon on the pretext that he had a meeting to attend and made his way there. When he arrived Serena was ready for him, dressed up in the sort of underwear that historically he had always liked. JR wouldn't kiss her. He had made that clear. He just wanted sexual release and nothing else. The woman shrugged her shoulders acceptingly. He was paying the bill, she thought as she dropped her robe.

He couldn't do it though. Physically and emotionally he just hadn't been able to go through with it. He paid Serena, even though she hadn't insisted, and assured her, politely, that it was him and not her at fault. He explained that he loved his wife but she wasn't well at the moment and he had thought that this was the answer to eradicate his sexual frustration. However, upon reflection, it would be bound to cause more problems than it solved if he had sex with her. Serena accepted his explanation with good grace. If JR Ewing had finally found a woman that he needed to be faithful to good luck to him she thought as she reminded him that if he ever needed her services for any of his business associates he knew where to find her.

JR shuddered at the momentary recollection of his brush with betrayal and infidelity and picked up the phone. He needed Dr Danvers to help his wife urgently.

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	123. Chapter 124

The dreaded phone call came in the early hours of the morning. "Please can I speak to Mr. Bobby Ewing?" the caller asked. It was Dr Scott. "Mr. Ewing? I'm terribly sorry but it's bad news. Pamela lost the baby a short while ago" she informed him. Bobby crumpled. "I'll be right over" he answered, attempting to maintain his composure. "Don't rush. I have to perform a minor procedure and then make sure that your wife is comfortable" the doctor informed him.

It was a situation that Janet Scott had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of times yet it never ceased to move her. The grief and anguish of happy, expectant parents whose hopes for the future had been dashed within a matter of minutes. Pam's predicament was all too harsh. In the space of less than 24 hours she had lost a brother and then her much-wanted child.

The doctor hung up and then returned to her patient. Less than an hour earlier she had been rung by a panicked, junior emergency doctor to inform her that Mrs. Ewing appeared to be suffering a miscarriage. The pair of them, using all the medical skills known to them, had battled to save the child but to no avail. As Janet Scott entered the room she found Pam still sobbing, just as she had been when she left to contact Bobby.

She sat down next to the young woman. "There there, Pam" she attempted to comfort her. "I'm so sorry that this has happened. However, you have to let me help you. Your husband is on the way and it would be better for both of you if you let me do what I have to before he gets here." Pam nodded tearfully. Over the short space of time that she had been engaged as Janet's patient she had, akin to her sister-in-law, grown to trust and admire her.

Bobby ran down the hallway and knocked on his parents' door. Entering the room before he had been invited the look on his face told Jock and Miss Ellie all they needed to know. "It's Pam" Bobby began "she lost the baby. I'm going to the hospital to be with her." Miss Ellie burst into tears. Jock got out of bed and, unusually for him, hugged his son. "Do you want us to come with you?" he asked. "No thank you, daddy. It's probably best if I go alone. I don't know exactly what state she will be in but it will be bad" Bobby informed them.

By the time that Bobby arrived at the hospital Dr Scott had completed all that she needed to do. Meeting him outside Pam's room she supplied Bobby with as much information as she could. "The force of Pam's fall, coupled with the fragility of the pregnancy in terms of her overall health, meant that your baby didn't really have much of a chance I'm afraid" she informed him. "We kept her as still and sedate as possible hoping that would stabilise things but this time it didn't work. I am very sorry, Mr. Ewing. I know how much this pregnancy meant to the both of you." "And the future?" Bobby queried. Dr Scott shook her head. "I don't know, honestly. It was a real surprise that Pam got pregnant so quickly given what we knew. That might bode well if you were to try again but if I had to stake my savings on it I'm not optimistic. Mr. Ewing, if I were you I would start to talk to your wife about other options for a family." There was no point in lying and giving the young couple false hope, she thought. She had always harboured reservations about getting Pam to full term with her baby in any event, although she had been determined to give it her best shot. Perhaps in one way it was a God-send that she had lost the child so early on in the pregnancy.

Bobby shook the doctor's hand whereupon she took her leave. He found Pam lying on her side, her face buried into the pillow, heavy, sad breathing interspersed by the occasional sob. "Pammy" Bobby greeted her. "Oh sweetie, come here" he told her as he put his arms around her. "What are we going to do?" she cried. "I'll tell you what we are going to do. We're going to get you all better and then decide where we go from here." Bobby tried to be strong but his eyes were brimming with tears, a fact noted by his wife which only served to make her feel worse.

"And Cliff?" she asked, beginning to cry once more. "Tomorrow I will call his attorney and find out where he has been taken. Then we can make arrangements to visit, but only when you are fully recovered. I'm not prepared to put your health at further risk" he told her firmly. "Lie down next to me, please Bobby. I don't want to be on my own" she pleaded. Bobby slipped off his shoes and lay down next to her on top of the bedclothes. He stroked her hair and face gently. She looked weary and in need of sleep. "Are you in any pain?" he asked. "A little" she replied. "The biggest pain, Bobby, is in my heart though." "Try to get some rest, honey. We'll be okay" he told her, stressing the plural. They were in this together.

As Pam eventually drifted off to sleep Bobby's thoughts began to race. He knew that Pam had to retain a relationship with Cliff but he had been partly to blame for this tragic mess, he thought. They should never have had to go anywhere near that courtroom but for him. As for JR, he set the whole thing up, sat back and then enjoyed the carnage that had ensued. Sorrow rapidly turned to anger. When he got home later there would be a confrontation, he promised himself.

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	124. Chapter 125

Hearing that there was movement inside the bedroom Miss Ellie knocked and waited. "Come in" JR barked. She had just left a tearful Lucy. The young girl had been most upset to hear the bad news about Bobby's and Pam's baby such that Miss Ellie had decided to keep her away from school for the day.

JR was fastening his tie as Miss Ellie entered the bedroom. Mistakenly he had anticipated breakfast. "Mama?" he asked looking at her quizzically. Sue-Ellen emerged from the bathroom. The expression on her mother-in-law's face indicated to the young woman that she had come to deliver bad news. "Miss Ellie, is it Pam?" she enquired as she returned to bed. Miss Ellie nodded, once again on the brink of tears. "I'm very sorry to have to tell you both that Pam lost her baby in the middle of the night."

Sue-Ellen held her hands to her face in horror and began to weep. "Oh no, Sue-Ellen you mustn't get upset, not in your condition" her husband advised her. Without thinking he took her hand. For a split second she permitted him to hold it before removing it, ostensibly on the pretext of reaching over for her handkerchief. JR looked back at his mother. "I'm very sorry to hear that, mama. I know how excited Bobby was about becoming a father" he responded disingenuously. The reality was that he was delighted. The development put him and Sue-Ellen way ahead in the race to produce the first male Ewing heir, he mused wickedly. He managed to maintain a sombre demeanour, though. The last thing he wanted was to arouse the ire of either of his parents.

Miss Ellie nodded and made to leave. "Sue-Ellen, JR's right. You must try to avoid becoming overly upset. It won't do anything for your blood pressure, dear. That baby you are carrying is even more precious than ever now" she added before closing the door quietly behind her. Waiting before he spoke to ensure that his mother was well out of earshot JR grinned as he began to speak. "Well then, that's a welcome surprise" he commented. "JR, I can't believe that you're pleased about what's happened!" Sue-Ellen cried. "Fraternal rivalry is one thing but to be happy that Bobby and Pam aren't going to have a baby anymore is another" she scolded him.

The parlous state of the couple's relationship returned once more to the fore as JR remembered that he had arranged for Dr Danvers to come out and see Sue-Ellen that morning. Her depression and its effect on their marriage just had to be addressed, he thought. "Honey, I'm sorry. It's just, you know, the way is wide open for our family to take ultimate control of Ewing Oil now. I'm just being protective over our future" he advised her, adopting a more conciliatory tone. "Remember, sugar, Dr Danvers is coming over to see you this morning. He thinks he can help. I'll remain at home until after he's gone, to support you." Sue-Ellen nodded. His reminder that they had also had difficult issues to face brought on a fresh bout of tears. "Sometimes, JR, I think our problems will never end" she responded. "They will, darlin, I promise" he reassured her.

After breakfast, served as usual in their room, JR went downstairs to await the doctor's arrival. He was met by Bobby in the entrance hall. JR offered his hand to his brother. "Bob, I'm real sorry about what happened." Bobby kept both hands by his sides. "Oh I bet you are, big brother" he retorted. "Don't you feel the slightest bit guilty, JR?" he asked. JR shrugged his shoulders. "Why would I feel guilty? I don't understand, Bob, I truly don't" JR replied, backing away from the young man. When Bobby lost his temper his fists would frequently fly and placing slightly more distance between them was probably prudent, he calculated.

"Oh yes you do!" Bobby countered. "You were the one who put Cliff in that court. But for you Pam and I would still have our baby!" Jock came in from the dining room. He, Miss Ellie and Lucy had been listening anxiously to the two men's exchange. "Now hold on a damn minute, Bobby" he started "I understand that you're mightily upset right now but you can't blame JR for what Cliff did. Get in the dining room and have a cup of coffee. You need to calm down, boy. Anger and blame won't do Pam any good and it sure as hell won't bring back the baby" he advised. JR breathed a sigh of relief as Bobby made to do as he had been told. As his brother turned his back JR smirked to himself.

Dr Danvers' arrival was met with a flurry of questions for JR from his parents. "Just a routine check-up" he assured them. Jock accepted the explanation without question. Miss Ellie was more sceptical. However, she contented herself with the thought that if JR was intervening to help his wife's evident depression that could only be a good thing. "I heard the sad news about Pam" the doctor offered his condolences as he was met by the family. "Janet Scott has been in touch." Jock shook his hand and then gestured to the man that he was free to make his way upstairs. JR led the way. "Harlan, I know that you are the soul of discretion but I want to be clear. I don't want my folks to know what we discussed over the phone yesterday, about Sue-Ellen I mean." The doctor nodded. "JR, don't worry I'm all too familiar with my duty of patient confidentiality" he commented as JR went to open the bedroom door. "Please can you leave us alone now?" JR backed away. "I'll wait downstairs then."

"Good morning, Sue-Ellen" Harlan greeted her. She politely returned the greeting. "Upsetting news about Pam, wasn't it? I'll just test your blood pressure first and then we can talk about your other problem." More than accustomed to her medical routine Sue-Ellen slipped off her robe exposing her bare arm. "Hmm… not too bad, considering…" the doctor commented as he made a note of the reading. He drew up a chair and sat down. "Now then, JR tells me that you are feeling low and have asked for my help?" he asked. Sue-Ellen became instantaneously tearful. "Now, now, it's alright. Lots of women in your condition feel the same. What's the problem? Can you describe it for me?"

Sue-Ellen nodded. "It's JR and I. I do feel low but the main issue by a long chalk is that I just can't stand to have him touch me and it's affecting our marriage. JR is trying to be understanding but the lack of physical contact between us is frustrating for him. It is for me as well. I just don't know what is wrong with me" she informed him. Harlan took a careful note of what she had to say. "Alright then, I'm going to issue a prescription for some medication. Don't worry, it won't harm the baby. However, given what you have told me about how your depression is manifesting itself, I would also recommend some psychological therapy. I think a female counsellor would be the most appropriate to work on this with you. What do you think?"

"I will do anything to get better, doctor, however I'm not exactly sure that JR would approve of me discussing our private business with a stranger." "You leave your husband to me, Sue-Ellen" Harlan stated as he went to leave the room.

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	125. Chapter 126

Pam stared at her baby niece. The little girl held her arms outstretched to be picked up out of her cot. "No, darling. You're going to see your mama soon" she responded, handing the child her favourite teddy bear as an appeasement. She and Bobby had just had another row. The topic was always the same- the attachment that Pam was forming to Ella. "You're going to be hurt, Pam" he had advised her. "Sue-Ellen hasn't got much longer to go and when she's fit again you won't be able to pretend that Ella is your baby any longer." Pam argued back, that he was exaggerating about the time she was spending with the little girl, but deep down she knew he was right.

Acting on impulse she rang The Store and asked to speak to her former boss, Liz Gregg. "Hi Pam, I was sorry to hear what happened" Liz began. "What can I do for you?" "I was wondering whether I could come back to work? I'm perfectly fit now and I need something to take my mind off the miscarriage. There's only so much party planning that a girl can do" Pam lied. She had been enlisted, in Sue-Ellen's absence, to help with the preparations for the rodeo but the truth was that most of her days were spent in the nursery playing with and caring for Ella and she realised that this wasn't a healthy state of affairs. "Leave it with me. I'm sure I can sort something out for you" the woman reassured her. After several minutes of anodyne chat, mainly about fashion, they ended the call.

Pam knocked on Sue-Ellen's door. After the medication prescribed for her had kicked in she had begun to feel somewhat brighter. However, her problems with JR were by no means behind her. Sue-Ellen had been referred to Dr Maggie Ashworth for counselling. Dr Ashworth had qualified at Berkeley where the subject of her PHD thesis had been relationship counselling. Whilst Dr Danvers regarded the woman as the most suitable person to help the young Mrs. Ewing he had to warn her off attempting to involve JR in the therapy. "Look Maggie, JR Ewing is very conservative. I've had to work very hard to persuade him to engage you to counsel his wife. There's no way he's going to sit down with you and discuss his intimate thoughts, though. If you try he will end up terminating your appointment as Sue-Ellen's therapist and that would be totally contrary to her best interests" Harlan told her.

Accordingly, Maggie had commenced seeing Sue-Ellen on her own. She had met with JR at the beginning of the first session. He wanted to find out more about who he was going to be paying. He found the woman to be a little too "right on" for his liking. He was also taken slightly aback by the directness of her manner. However, if Dr Danvers rated her then she was worth a try, he thought, as he shook her hand before scurrying off to his car before any overture about him becoming involved could be made. Jock followed him, shaking his head. He didn't subscribe to all this nonsense, he thought, although he kept it to himself. Sue-Ellen just needed to pull herself together.

Sue-Ellen called for Pam to come in. Her second therapy session was due to start in twenty minutes. The first had been very much a "get to know you" appointment. The hard work was due to start today. "What's she like?" Pam asked. She was intrigued. Since her discharge from hospital she and Sue-Ellen had grown much closer. Many tears had been jointly shed by the two young women of late and the pair of them had the feeling that only the other really understood. "She seems nice" Sue-Ellen replied. "I'm apprehensive though, Pam. She told me that the therapy would be very challenging once we get into it and that I am going to have to face, head-on, certain issues that I never realised I even had." "Well if it's going to help your marriage you will just need to be brave and engage in the process" Pam advised, patting Sue-Ellen's hand. She then changed the subject. "Sue-Ellen I've asked my friend Liz for a job. I need something to occupy my time now that I'm not going to be a mama." Sue-Ellen raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and Bobby would be busy trying again?" she asked. Pam shook her head sadly. "You're not the only Ewing wife who is experiencing marital problems" she replied. "Bobby is never away from work these days. It's as if he can't cope with my grief, as if he'd prefer not to have to deal with it. Then, when he is at home, we do nothing but argue. There's not a lot of baby-making going on between us at the moment and so I guess I'm better off back at work" Sue-Ellen nodded. "It's a bit like that with JR these days. Yes, he comes and sits with me in the evenings but we seem to have nothing to say to each other. It was never like that before." The two young women sighed. Both were worried about their future but neither appeared to have a constructive solution to change things.

"I'll see you later" Pam advised "your session is due." She passed Maggie on the stairs. "Good afternoon, doctor. Sue-Ellen's waiting for you." The doctor nodded and smiled politely before completing her ascent. Sue-Ellen Ewing, she pondered. On the face of it her patient had it all- beauty, wealth, a baby daughter that she adored and a husband who apparently doted on her. However, she was so deeply and palpably unhappy.

Maggie knocked quietly on the door and entered. "Good afternoon, Sue-Ellen." She drew a chair nearer to the bed. "So, last week we discussed your depression and the effect it is having on your relationship with JR. Today we go back to the first principles of therapy and I mean right back. Tell me about your childhood please."

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 **Thank you for all the really nice reviews and the ideas. For those of you reading Djinn's epic I promise that the counselling/therapy in this story won't collide with what she is doing ;)**


	126. Chapter 127

"Where do I begin?" Sue-Ellen asked Maggie. It wasn't an unusual question for a patient to ask at a first proper session of therapy. "Tell me about your father then, please?" "He was a kind man, lovely in so many ways" Sue-Ellen began. Discussing her father and what happened to him had always been a topic that she was keen, wherever possible, to avoid. "He's no longer with us I take it?" Maggie asked. Sometimes a little prompting helped. Sue-Ellen shook her head sadly. "Drank himself to death, after he left us" she replied. "How old were you when he left?" "Nine. He left a note one morning and I never saw him again. My mother was angry, she had a reputation to uphold, but she didn't appear to miss him much, not like I did. My father used to read to me, every night. He was good at voices, bringing the characters to life in my head. All that stopped once he had gone." "How did you take the news of his death?" "I was heartbroken. Even though by then I hadn't seen him for several years I still missed him and wished he would come back."

"Your mother?" Maggie enquired. Thus far she hadn't gained much of a sense of maternal nurturing for her patient. "Gosh! That's a tough one. My relationship with my mother is complex. Don't get me wrong. I respect her immensely. After our daddy left she raised us all by herself. Anything we needed she managed to obtain for us. She also had more ambition for her girls than she had ever had for herself. However…" Maggie looked at her expectantly. "She's a cold fish, my mother. You know sometimes, growing up, it felt like I could do nothing right in her eyes." "In what way?" "Every way. It was all about personal advancement for her except through me. I had to be the best, the prettiest and the most popular. It even continued when I went to college."

"Rewind please. Tell me about a time when you felt as a younger child that you hadn't done well enough in your mother's opinion?" Maggie asked. She would keep going over old ground, not because she didn't realise what was at the root of Sue-Ellen's problems, because she already had a fair idea, but to make her patient recognise it all by herself. "Phew! There were so many times" Sue-Ellen replied with disarming honesty. "Earliest memory that you can think of then?"

Sue-Ellen paused for a few seconds and then nodded. For a moment she also appeared tearful. "First year at school. I was five and it was Christmas. There was to be a Nativity Play. Another little girl got the part of Mary. My mama absolutely lambasted me for not getting the part myself. I mustn't have spoken loudly enough or acted well enough, she told me." As she took herself back to that painful, early moment in her life, Sue-Ellen sighed. "I'm most disappointed in you, Sue-Ellen, that's what she told me."

"How did you respond?" "By resolving to try harder, to make her proud of me. Anything my mother wanted me to do I did and I made sure that I did it to the very best of my ability as well. Whether it was exam success, making the cheerleading squad or being voted Homecoming Queen, I did it. All for her." "Did she ever tell you that she was proud of your achievements?" "I don't know. I'd remember if she did, so actually the answer is no" Sue-Ellen reflected sadly.

"How would you sum up your childhood then? In one word?" A silent tear fell slowly down Sue-Ellen's cheek as she pondered on the question. "Controlled, after my daddy left that is" was her eventual answer. Maggie nodded and made a note of the answer. "Controlled or out of control?" she enquired. "I'm not sure that I get your drift?" Sue-Ellen responded. "Well did you ever get to make a decision about your life as you were growing up? Or did your mother always dictate to you?"

"Oh I see now. I was controlled yet at the same time out of control of my own destiny?" she enquired. "You see there's that little girl all over again, Sue-Ellen. Still eager to get the right answer, this time to please me. Let's re-focus for a moment. Your daughter- what stage of development is she at now?" "She's started to pull herself to stand, to cruise around furniture" Sue-Ellen replied. "And when she does so?" Sue-Ellen smiled warmly and spontaneously. "I let her, of course!" "Of course you do. Because there are many stages in a child's development when caring parents, within reason of course, allow their child to exercise autonomy. Yet in your case it appears that your mother, probably because of her own experiences and psychological make-up, just couldn't allow you to."

Sue-Ellen nodded. "It was like she was living her life through me, I suppose. All those unfulfilled ambitions that had always been the source of great disappointment for her were going to be achieved by me instead." "Do you feel like we are making a little progress, Sue-Ellen?" Sue-Ellen nodded. "We will be re-visiting your childhood a lot in forthcoming weeks. Don't think that we are done with this period in your life just yet. A person's childhood years are the most formative. They shape how we behave, how we feel and how we respond to others. Now tell me a little about college. You informed me last week that you were at college when you met your husband."

"College was much of the same. My mother specified where I was to go and she awaited news of my achievements keenly." "Did she ever express disappointment in you when you were there?" "Mmm…. I met a boy there and fell in love, at least it felt like love at the time." "But?" "But he didn't have much money and when my mother found out she was very cross with me. She kept saying that I was going to make the same mistakes that she had made if I married him. However, it wasn't about money for me. It was about the way that we felt about each other." "How did it end?" "I met JR" Sue-Ellen responded, smiling once again at the memory of her first encounter with the man that she would eventually marry.

"Good. That's a decent juncture at which to leave it for today. I want you to reflect between now and our next session on control or, rather, lack of it."

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	127. Chapter 128

Miss Ellie sighed as she passed her youngest son's bedroom. Another argument was taking place between Bobby and Pam, she realised as she made her way downstairs. "So when was this all arranged?" Bobby demanded. "I made the approach to Liz a couple of weeks ago" Pam replied. "And you leave it 'til today, your first day back, to tell me?" "Yes because I knew all too well that you would react like this!" Pam was strident in her defence of herself whilst Bobby maintained a tone of righteous indignation. Neither approach was entirely constructive.

"I thought we were going to try again for a baby? If you get pregnant as quickly as you did before you will have just wasted your time by going back" he protested. "What if I'm not ready, Bobby? Do you have any idea what losing the baby did to me? Clearly not!" Bobby shook his head. "You're wrong Pam. In any event it wasn't just your baby that died. It was mine as well." Pam took her bag out of the closet and made to leave the room. As she reached the door she turned to address her husband one last time. "If you can't support me and take matters at my pace perhaps you and I need to face the fact that there is no future for us" she stated flatly. Bobby shrugged his shoulders. His pride prevented him from appeasing her. "Alright then but it's your decision, remember that" he responded as she walked away.

In JR's and Sue-Ellen's bedroom a different discussion was taking place. "Darlin, I know that you like this therapist woman but I cannot understand why she keeps on about your childhood" he began. "The problem that you, we, have is in the present and it concerns us, not your mother and father." Sue-Ellen kept calm. JR couldn't possibly understand the approach that Dr Ashworth was adopting to the therapy. His concrete manner of thinking simply did not enable him to appreciate that regression back to her childhood was a necessary element of the process. She sighed and then responded. "I trust this doctor and I feel she is helping. We have increased the frequency of the sessions to twice a week because I am making progress. I'm not stopping now, JR. No way."

"Honey, I'm not suggesting that. It's just that nothing between us has changed and, to be honest, I'm becoming very tired of our continued disconnection. A man has needs you know." He didn't mean to be unkind but Sue-Ellen's facial reaction spoke volumes. He had hurt her. Softening his tone of voice he carried on. "Sue-Ellen I love you. I'm just frustrated that no progress where we are concerned is being made." "Well for your information the session that is about to start does concern you. Dr Ashworth told me that we are leaving my experiences as a child behind for now. We are moving on to my relationship with you" she informed him. JR suddenly felt conflicted. Whilst he wanted progress he wasn't sure that he desired some great exposition to the doctor of all that had happened between him and his wife. "Alright then but be careful, Sue-Ellen" he warned her. As he went to leave for work Sue-Ellen spontaneously felt the need to reach out to him. However, as she went to touch his hand, a gesture that Maggie had encouraged her to make when they next had a discussion about their marriage, JR moved away from her, accidentally preventing physical contact as he did so. Oblivious to the effort that she had just gone to, he then bade his wife farewell. Stung by his rejection of her, albeit unintentional, Sue-Ellen didn't respond.

"How did you meet?" Dr Ashworth opened their session with a question that she already knew the answer to. The mighty JR Ewing falling hot and hard for the new Miss Texas had been the subject of much comment in the local gossip columns at the time. She listened intently to Sue-Ellen's description of their initial encounter and was glad to see that it represented a memory of a truly happy time for her patient. "So, he swept you off your feet did he?" the doctor asked. Smiling as she mentally travelled back in time to the beauty pageant that, in truth, she hadn't actually wanted to enter Sue-Ellen nodded. "He sure did. I'd never met anybody like him before. He was a real man whereas, by comparison, the men that I had met at college were really just boys." "Tell me about your courtship" the doctor asked. She needed to know every detail if she was going to be able to help Sue-Ellen to understand why she had got to the place she was at.

"How did he make you feel when you were with him?" Maggie enquired. She wanted their session to maintain the theme that they had been focusing on of late . "Nervous, but in a good way, and so excited. He went out of his way to do things that would please me." Maggie paused for thought. Her limited interactions with JR to date fitted Sue-Ellen's description. JR Ewing certainly is charming and charismatic, she thought, but also slightly scary given the extent of his power and influence. What chance did a twenty year old college girl stand if he set his sights on her?

"What did your physical relationship consist of before you were married?" Sue-Ellen looked slightly embarrassed. "You know the ground rules, Sue-Ellen. Anything you say to me cannot be repeated anywhere else" she reassured her. "Hmm… well the honest answer is that other than kissing and fondling I wouldn't let him do anything else" she responded. "And how do you think he took that?" Sue-Ellen took a deep breath before answering. "Phew! At the time I believed that he was accepting of my wish to preserve my virginity. However, I discovered subsequently that, at times, he was having his needs met elsewhere." The revelation came as no surprise to the therapist. A man like JR wasn't going to tolerate years of celibacy even if he was deeply in love with his girlfriend, she mused. "So, think about that, Sue-Ellen, at the time you felt you were in control of the extent to which you and JR were physically connected but later you found out that was all a big lie." Sue-Ellen nodded. She was beginning, finally, to understand the root causes of her misery.

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	128. Chapter 129

As her therapy continued Sue-Ellen was extremely heartened to be given a piece of good news. Finally, through the efforts of her physicians and her enforced bed rest her blood pressure had become sufficiently stable to permit her to spend short periods of time out of bed and with the rest of the family. Miss Ellie was under Dr Scott's strict orders, however, to ensure that her daughter-in-law did not overdo things.

The relaxation of the tough regime that had now been in force for several weeks enabled Sue-Ellen to spend more time with her baby than before, a fact that gave her enormous pleasure. She also was allowed to come down to eat her dinner with the rest of the family which eased her feeling of isolation. Sue-Ellen had always enjoyed dinner with the family but now even more so as it afforded her the opportunity to talk to Pam. Although she had respected Pam's decision to return to The Store, Sue-Ellen had struggled with it as it inevitably deprived her of contact during the daytime with the one person whom she felt truly understood her predicament. She missed her sister-in-law and began to look forward to asking about her day across the dinner table.

Through the restoration of a semblance of normality Sue-Ellen began once again to look and feel better. Whilst the rest of the family were pleased to see the young woman looking much more like her old self JR's feelings on the subject were much more complex and confused. His wife appeared to be improving in all aspects of her life except where he was concerned and he didn't understand it. Now and again she would touch his hand fleetingly or extend her cheek stiffly to allow him to kiss her but that was it. JR concluded, with a profound sense of sadness, that his wife mustn't be in love with him anymore. If this was what life was going to be like at home then business would just have to be his focus, he concluded one evening as he watched the dark haired beauty making herself ready for bed.

Pam was enjoying work even though her job remained an almost constant running sore between herself and Bobby. A battle of wills was being played out by the young couple which was noted by Jock and Miss Ellie and it worried them. Another source of discord between them lay in Pam's brother, Cliff. Shortly after the miscarriage Pam was informed that Cliff had been sent to a minimum security jail on the outskirts of the city. Pam made it her mission to visit her brother, taking their daddy along with her whenever his health permitted it, as much as possible. The visiting schedule irked her husband who felt neglected enough in his marriage these days. It also annoyed Jock and JR who took the view that Pam should stop acting like a Barnes and start behaving as a Ewing would if she were ever to gain any respect as Bobby's wife.

"Tell me about sex with JR please, Sue-Ellen" Maggie asked as she opened another session of therapy. She too had noticed the change in her patient's demeanour, which pleased her. She also perceived that the young woman was trying very hard to be as open as possible when they were together and this gave her optimism for the future. Predictably, Sue-Ellen was reluctant to speak at first. Maggie had grown accustomed to teasing personal information from her which then tended to result in a fuller and more informative outpouring.

"It was good" Sue-Ellen replied. Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?" she asked almost jokingly. "What was your wedding night like?" "It was fine, just fine." The expression worn by the therapist told Sue-Ellen that she wasn't buying it. "Actually the first time was pretty awful" she continued. She realised that this had to be done. The physical side of hers and JR's relationship was at the heart of their marital problems and if she wanted to fix things she had to engage with what her therapist was trying to achieve for her. "It was over in just a few minutes. JR seemed really unsure of himself and he wasn't particularly tender. I mean he did his level best not to hurt me but there wasn't much foreplay or kissing and then afterwards he just rolled over and went to sleep." "Did it improve?" "A little when we were on honeymoon but the time when we really connected in that way was when we took a weekend away together." "Tell me more about that then." "The weekend started off pretty badly. JR was angry about something that had happened at work and he remained that way for the whole of the journey there. When we got there he wanted me straight away. He did it to me in a way that he'd never done it before. He was somewhat rough with me yet, surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed it." "Did you tell him so?" Sue-Ellen nodded. "He became a little sheepish, almost apologetic, so I informed him that I'd had a good time." "You speak of this occasion as some sort of breakthrough in that side of your relationship?" "It was. We went on to do things that weekend that we had never done before, things that I think deep down JR thought were a little dirty and inappropriate for a married couple, but I didn't. It all seemed perfectly natural and in the end it was the same for him."

Sue-Ellen took a sip of her tea. God, she thought, I can't believe I have just told her all of that. "Good, Sue-Ellen. You must understand that I'm not prying." "I know" Sue-Ellen replied. "I trust you implicitly." "You referred to JR being angry at the start of the trip. How would you say that your husband's sex drive is influenced by his emotions?" Sue-Ellen looked at her quizzically. "I'm sorry but I'm not sure what you are asking there?" "When JR is happy does he want sex?" Sue-Ellen nodded. She understood now. "Yes, very much so" she responded. "And when he is angry?" "He does seek me out for physical comfort, so yes." "And if jealous?" Maggie appreciated that the third scenario was likely to hit a raw nerve. The theme of JR's jealousy had already reared its head, albeit briefly, during their earlier sessions. "He insists on sex" came the response. "He interprets that as having nothing to worry about where I and other men are concerned."

"Your husband uses sex to regulate his emotions it seems to me" Maggie commented. She didn't necessarily expect a response. "Phew! I have never viewed it that way. Alright I'm prepared to entertain the possibility." "How do you view sex, Sue-Ellen?" "It's what a young and healthy couple does isn't it? The day before my wedding my mama gave me some advice. As you know I had very little experience. She told me that it was my duty to keep JR happy in the bedroom, otherwise he would be likely to stray. I took her at her word. Other than when we have been separated I have always let him have it" Sue-Ellen replied in a matter of fact manner.

"Do you ever initiate it yourself, because you want it from him?" Maggie asked. The couple's very different attitudes to sex was intriguing, she thought. "Rarely. I can't remember the last time I did. The approach always comes from JR. I have to confess though that I do sometimes use sex as a sort of bargaining chip- you do what I want and I give it to you. Do you understand?"

Maggie nodded. She understood all too well. "Between now and our next session I want you to think about the way that you and JR have responded towards each other physically and sexually. Keep that at the forefront of your mind, alright? I also want you to try to reach out physically to him, if only in some small way. I know it's hard but I do recommend that you continue to try to offer him some sort of contact. Thank you, Sue-Ellen."

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	129. Chapter 130

Miss Ellie observed the scene at the dinner table. Sue-Ellen and Pam were engrossed in a conversation about Paris Fashion Week. Liz Gregg had invited Pam to accompany her and Pam had eagerly accepted. She had done so without consulting Bobby first, much to his annoyance. A short yet curt exchange had taken place between them just before they had come down for the meal, Bobby pointing out to his wife that the trip would coincide with the charity rodeo, an event that he had expected her to be at his side for. Pam remained resolute. "There will be other rodeos, Bobby" she told him. "Yes and there will be other trips to Paris" he replied sullenly.

What struck Miss Ellie about the tableau that she was observing was that neither of her daughters-in-law made the slightest effort to talk to their husbands. Now and again JR and Bobby would look somewhat wistfully in their wives' direction. Bobby wore a pained expression whereas JR appeared worried, it seemed to their mother. Things were going wrong in the family and Miss Ellie didn't know what to do about it.

The truth where Sue-Ellen was concerned lay in the direction that her therapy had taken recently. Dark and challenging issues were being tackled and the experience, whilst enlightening, had become increasingly difficult. She had confidence in her psychologist, though, who had warned her right from the start that there would come a time when the therapeutic journey would be extremely hard-going.

The session earlier that day had focused on the hard times that Sue-Ellen had encountered in her marriage to date. Themes of jealousy and revenge appeared to Dr Ashworth to be almost constant in her patient's relationship with her husband. Then there was the issue of control. "You describe traumatic events in your marriage in an astonishingly matter of fact way, Sue-Ellen" the doctor remarked after hearing the young woman recount how things had been at Southfork on the night of Cliff's arrest. Sue-Ellen nodded. "I suppose so. I can only explain it as a coping mechanism. To put the bad times behind us and move on."

"What if you haven't truly moved on, though?" Maggie asked. Your tendency to compartmentalise is remarkable. You can't just file away incidents and expect them never to come back to haunt you. The human mind doesn't work like that." "Are you saying I'm in denial?" Sue-Ellen was shocked as Maggie nodded. "Yes I am. Yours and JR's life together to date has been a complete rollercoaster. As soon as you get over one crisis another comes to the fore. It must be exhausting for the pair of you, but you especially because you have endured two difficult pregnancies and you are probably not as robust as your husband. You have learnt from a very early age to please others and not complain. This compounds the situation that you are in because it deprives you of autonomy over the most important decisions that you need to make for yourself."

"God, you make me sound like a dish rag!" Sue-Ellen exclaimed. Ordinarily if someone had denigrated the way she functioned like this she would have been angry and upset. Somehow, though, Maggie could impart distressing advice in a manner that called for calm reflection and, ultimately, acceptance. "Yes and no. Tell me Sue-Ellen, in what area of your married life do you think you have been able to maintain control?" Sue-Ellen paused to think and then nodded. She was certain of her answer. "As a mother to Ella. JR always took my lead in her care and he was happy to do so. When I was looking after my baby every day I was the one making the decisions and it made me feel good. Perhaps that was the shield that sustained my emotional equilibrium?"

"Very good. We are getting somewhere now" Maggie responded, pleased that Sue-Ellen hadn't had to be given the answer to her question. Sue-Ellen reflected briefly on what she had just said and became tearful. "I know what comes next" she stated, looking down at her increasingly prominent baby bump. "My feelings about this baby. No, more specifically, my feelings about what has happened to me since I conceived the child." Maggie looked up from her note-pad and gazed into Sue-Ellen's eyes. "Since the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia I've lost control of that one aspect of my life that meant so much to me, that validated me as a person, haven't I?" Maggie nodded. "Go on, Sue-Ellen" she encouraged the young woman. "The night I conceived this child we had unprotected sex to avoid a row that I knew was brewing between JR and I." "A row about what?" "About the dress I had on for the New Year's party. He reckoned it was too revealing and he was being all insecure and jealous about it. We had sex so I could avoid a confrontation with him over it and calm him down."

"Okay, where does that take you next?" Maggie asked. "I've always denied feeling resentful of this pregnancy. Don't get me wrong I'm not resentful of the baby. I want him, or her, but I think I am angry about where this pregnancy has taken me and I have wondered if a second baby a little further down the line than this would have been more beneficial to my health. I've always denied it to JR, who has picked up on the possibility and been worried, but the truth is that I do blame him for the position I've been placed in. That's the reason that I find it so hard for him to touch me. I blame him and I blame myself." Sue-Ellen began to cry, her sobs becoming increasingly powerful. Maggie placed her hand on the young woman's arm. "You need to tell your husband how you feel. You need to have it out with him, Sue-Ellen, if there's ever going to be a future for the two of you. You do love him don't you?" "Yes, yes of course I do and I don't want to give up on this marriage. I'm afraid he will, though. I can see the hurt in his eyes every time I rebuff him. There's only so much a person can take."

"Talk to him, Sue-Ellen. Do it tonight. If he can accept how you feel then there is a lot of hope that you will both overcome the difficulty between you. Think about it, there's only a limited number of weeks before the birth of your second child and the chances are that when you are back to full health the depression that has dogged you will lift. However, by then it may be too late to go back where your marriage is concerned."

The family rose from the dinner table and, as usual, began to make their way into the living room. Sue-Ellen touched JR's arm which made him hold back from following the others. "What is it honey?" he asked worriedly. "JR, I need to talk to you, in private, right now."

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	130. Chapter 131

JR listened intently as the words poured from Sue-Ellen's mouth. Devastation on his part was an understatement although he refrained from interrupting her. "So you see, when you asked me a few weeks ago whether I blamed you for the state that I'm in the honest answer is yes. JR, your instincts were right on the money" she finished, looking at him nervously. "So, are you saying this is it? We're over? Because I won't accept it. I'm not letting you go, Sue-Ellen, make no mistake about that. You are my wife and the mother of my children" he replied. He was angry but at the same time tearful.

Sue-Ellen took hold of his hand. Her husband hadn't been so openly emotional towards her since the day that they received the news about her condition and the dangers associated with it. "JR, we are by no means done with this marriage, that is if you are willing to persist with me being the way I am!" she reassured him. "My worry is that if you don't understand then we will never fix it. I am making progress in the therapy, I really am." She looked down at their hands to demonstrate her point. Their fingers had somehow, naturally yet imperceptibly, become entwined. "It's just that I've been so worried that you'd run out of patience with me."

JR's relief was palpable. "Honey, I have all the time in the world for you. It's just been so hard having you with me yet not with me, if you understand what I mean. I'm sorry for being impatient. You know that's just the way I am and I'm sorry that you are the one who has had to bear the burden of this pregnancy. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been so out of control that night. I just want things back to how they used to be between us."

"So do I and they will. I haven't much longer to go now. Once this baby is born I'm confident we will find each other again." She withdrew her hand gently from his. "Let's go to bed" JR suggested. "You need your rest." As they settled down next to each other Sue-Ellen leaned over and delivered a feather-light kiss to her husband's lips. It was the most she could muster but Maggie's advice had to be followed. She needed to keep on trying with JR if her marriage was ever going to stand a chance. "I love you, JR." "And I love you and I don't want to lose you. Tell me what to do and I'll do it, Sue-Ellen, I promise." "Go to sleep. We'll be okay" were the last words uttered by her before she fell asleep.

"So you did it, Sue-Ellen, and JR didn't take it anywhere nearly as badly as you predicted? Well done to you and, in fairness, to him." Dr Ashworth commented at their next session. Sue-Ellen nodded. "Yes. We're talking more as well and I am making an effort to be more physically affectionate towards him although it remains a struggle." "And your day to day life? I mean since you've been allowed to get out of bed a bit?" "Better. I've even been helping Miss Ellie with a few hospitality ideas for the rodeo." "Ah, the famous Ewing rodeo" Maggie commented. "Will you be able to attend any of it?" Sue-Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I'd like to, if only for an hour or two. I've always enjoyed it. Do you know that I used to ride in it, before my pregnancies of course, and I was very good. It made JR proud of me." "I have no doubt about that. Remember, I know you pretty well now. No point in doing anything unless you do it well, right? However, sometimes things don't always go to plan and that's when you become stressed and downcast. Constant fear of failure, Sue-Ellen, isn't a healthy state of mind to be in" the doctor advised.

Sue-Ellen sipped her iced tea and reflected. Maggie was right. All her life she'd been afraid of falling short of other people's expectations of her. It was hard work being Sue-Ellen Ewing although she hadn't appreciated just how hard until she had gone into therapy. A sudden dread thought entered her head. "Oh no, my mother! She and my sister are usually invited to the rodeo." "How does that make you feel?" Maggie enquired although she already knew the answer, many of their conversations having focused on her patient's complex and difficult relationship with her mother. "Stressed and scared. I'm frightened of her realising that things aren't what they should be between JR and I. She meddles, you know, thrives on trouble." "You've done it before though, keeping up the semblance of normality for her, remember what you told me about the weeks that followed Ella's birth?" "I know but I was in a different frame of mind then. I just feel that it would be too hard this time" Sue-Ellen responded sadly. "Can your mother-in-law simply forget to invite her this time?" Maggie suggested. The last thing she wanted was for her patient to suffer a set-back, not after all the progress she had made recently. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "No, she would definitely think something was amiss if that happened. JR and I will just have to put a brave face on it and hope that the visit is as short as possible. She doesn't even know about my condition either." Maggie raised an eyebrow signalling to Sue-Ellen that she needed to know the reason why. "Let's face it, she'd regard that as a failure on my part. Being ill whilst carrying what could be the heir to the Ewing empire wouldn't exactly impress my mama, would it?" Sue-Ellen responded flatly.

Impressed by the young woman's deepening insight Maggie brought their session to a close. She hoped that Sue-Ellen's physicians certified her fit to attend the rodeo, if even for just a short time. It would do her good, she thought. It would also serve to keep Patricia from suspecting that there was anything wrong with her daughter other than being in the late stages of pregnancy. If Sue-Ellen wanted to avoid criticism from the one person in the world who should be expected to support her at this time then so be it, she pondered as she put her car in reverse and backed away from the ranch.

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 **Thank you for all the kind reviews and ideas. No chapter tomorrow- work to be done : (**


	131. Chapter 132

"They're beautiful, Bobby, thank you!" Pam exclaimed as she held each dress up to her body, gazing in their full-length mirror as she did so. "I've been an idiot over your trip, Pam, and I'm sorry. Liz helped me pick these out. I can't have my wife going to the fashion capital of the world without looking the part" he told her. Pam responded by throwing her arms around Bobby's neck and kissing him. "And I promise to be right with you at the next Ewing rodeo, no excuses." For a moment all their cares seemed to melt away. They had managed to navigate their way as a couple through a difficulty that was trivial yet had been blown completely out of proportion by both of them. If Bobby had to be the first to cave in then so be it, he thought, as their kisses became increasingly passionate.

Pam's departure for France coincided with Sue-Ellen being informed that as long as she spent a maximum of two hours at the rodeo it was unlikely to be harmful to her or her baby. When JR came home she excitedly told him her news. "That's great darlin' but you won't overdo it will you?" he asked anxiously. "The forecast is for a very hot day and I'm just a bit concerned." "Don't worry, JR, as soon as I begin to feel the least bit below par I shall return to bed" she reassured him. "Alright then. I guess it will be nice for you to see all your friends from the DOA again." "Hmm, but I'm not relishing the arrival of my mother though." "You will be fine. She's only staying the night according to mama because she has another social occasion to attend the following day. She will be gone in under 24 hours. You don't have to tell her anything that you don't want to."

The day of the annual rodeo arrived. In accordance with the weather forecast that JR had seen it was a blisteringly hot and sunny day. Sue-Ellen decided that it would be prudent to remain indoors until her mother and sister arrived. She would then pace herself as she socialised and watched selected events.

When the limo sent for Patricia and Kristin returned to Southfork Sue-Ellen was ready and waiting. She had made an extra special effort with her appearance. There wasn't only her mother to consider, she thought as she brushed her long, glossy hair. The ladies from the DOA would be out in force and she had an image to preserve. The fact that she was expecting a baby was regarded by her as irrelevant. Her family were the hosts for the event and she had to look perfect, she mused as she stared at herself in her mirror.

Patricia got out of the car and immediately turned her attention to her elder daughter. She looked extremely well she thought as she took in the pale pink, loose- fitting sundress and light tan cowboy boots that the young woman was wearing. JR was by her side, a fact that Patricia interpreted, reassuringly to herself, as proof that her daughter was still keeping him interested. "How are you, dear?" she enquired solicitously. "I'm just fine, thank you mother. Just a little tired and I must be careful of the heat today" Sue-Ellen lied. JR touched her hand lightly as a gesture of support. After further, anodyne pleasantries were exchanged Miss Ellie diplomatically invited Patricia to go with her to meet Mavis Anderson. Kristin followed Lucy who had informed her that there were lots of handsome rodeo riders in attendance for them to drool over.

Sue-Ellen and JR walked towards the temporary arena that had been erected for the event. En route Sue-Ellen was stopped by a group of the ladies she used to meet at the DOA and take lunch with. "Sue-Ellen! I do declare you look wonderful!" one of them complimented her. The comment made JR pause to look at his wife properly. She did look very pretty, he thought, before excusing himself on the pretext that he wanted to get a drink. There was only so much that he could take of the inane, feminine chatter that Sue-Ellen had become embroiled in.

As he stood at the bar Marilee Stone sidled up to him. She had been riled by all the attention that Sue-Ellen was being given by the other women. "Hello, JR. Buy me a drink?" she asked, stroking his arm seductively with her finger. "Marilee, of course" JR responded politely, beckoning the bartender to come over. Matters between the Ewing family and the Cartel had been somewhat strained since the debacle that had occurred over the sale of the Wainwright fields. JR was determined in the interests of Ewing Oil to be conciliatory where Marilee and her partners were concerned.

Their conversation ranged over a number of topics, mostly business related. Marilee threw her head back and laughed loudly when JR cracked a joke about his youngest brother's tendency to make a mess of the deals he was involved in. Accustomed to getting what she wanted the woman was still smarting over Bobby's outright rejection of her sexual advances.

Meanwhile Sue-Ellen had been side-tracked by Lucy and Kristin who wanted her to go with them to look at the horses. She smiled at the girlish chatter between her sister and niece. How nice it would be to have their carefree attitude to life, she thought as she patted and fussed over her own horse. "I've missed you, girl. It won't be long though before I'm back taking you out for a ride" she whispered to the animal.

When she came out she looked for JR. She hadn't really wanted to be separated from her husband but it had just happened that way, she thought as she scoured the area. Her heart sank as she spied him with Marilee. They had moved from the bar to the adjoining dancefloor and were dancing the Texas Two-step. God, I hate that woman, Sue-Ellen thought as she watched them from a distance. They were both smiling. Marilee was pleased because she was getting the male attention that she always craved. JR's smile was less natural and more forced- he realised that in the interests of the company this just had to be done. However, the nuances of the situation were lost on his wife who seethed as she looked on.

Suddenly she recalled what her therapist had advised her. _"Take back control of your life, Sue-Ellen, if only in small ways. Stop letting things wash over you. It only leads to resentment"_ Maggie had told her at a recent session. The song ended and Sue-Ellen seized her opportunity. She marched over to her husband and Marilee. "Nice to see you, Marilee. Why don't you go and find Seth to dance with? I'd like to dance with my husband right now" she said sweetly but with determination. Marilee nodded and stalked off. She was irritated that her fun had been interrupted. JR looked at Sue-Ellen. He was confused. "Well then?" she asked him, holding out her hand for him to take it. She was re-claiming her man.

JR took her hand in his and somewhat awkwardly placed his other hand on the small of her back. They hadn't been as physically close as this in ages he thought as they began to dance. At first he kept his distance, afraid that she might break off, but was delighted when, after a couple of minutes, Sue-Ellen moved her body nearer to his. As they continued to dance he felt her relax in his arms. At that moment there was nobody else in the world but the two of them. Sue-Ellen brushed her cheek against her husband's permitting him to whisper a heartfelt compliment about the way she looked in her ear. The sensation ran shivers down her spine. This was how she used to feel when they were close, she thought with a massive sense of relief. She responded by brushing her lips ever so lightly against his. "I think it's time I returned to the house for a lie down" she suggested. "Will you come with me to help me to get settled?" JR didn't need to be asked twice. He realised that whatever had just happened represented a major breakthrough between the two of them. He led her off the dancefloor and they walked hand in hand back towards the house. JR didn't care about being seen holding his wife's hand. He didn't want to let her go, he thought as they made their way back home. By the time they had entered the house they were kissing, lightly at first but then more passionately.

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	132. Chapter 133

Closing the bedroom door behind them Sue-Ellen pushed JR up against the wall. The hunger with which she kissed him told him that, for today at least, her inhibitions where he was concerned had vanished. Her hand wandered to the crotch of his pants. He was already impressively erect. "Let me deal with that for you" she panted, breaking their kiss momentarily. JR found her mouth with his once again as her fingers fumbled with his belt.

Having removed one of the straps of her sundress from her shoulder he slipped his fingers down the front of her bra. Sue-Ellen gasped as he did so causing him to pause. He didn't want to push her too far. "Go on" she moaned "touch me." JR stroked her firm, full breasts and toyed with her nipples causing them to harden. He growled in that deep masculine way that she loved as he caressed her. Freeing his manhood from his pants she took him in hand and began playing with him. "Oh yes, sugar, that feels so good" he grunted. Her slow, deliberate strokes made him pulse with excitement. He stopped her for a few seconds whilst he stepped out of his pants and then guided her hand back to where it had been before. "Sue-Ellen, I want you" he told her as he picked her up and lay her on the bed.

She watched him undress and then permitted him to pull her dress over her head. He struggled with her bra and was relieved when she unhooked it exposing herself to him. "Lie down next to me" she demanded. He did as she asked. She resumed her touching of him which caused him to growl in appreciation once more. Between their kisses she spoke breathlessly. "JR I don't think I can go the whole way with you, not yet. It's not that I don't want you because I do." To demonstrate her point she began stroking him more quickly concentrating on the area that she knew was the most sensitive for him. She then continued. "I'm just a little concerned about the baby. I mean my heart is pounding already. I'm worried about what might happen if you get me over-excited."

"I don't have to be inside you to enjoy being with you, darlin" he reassured her. "This is more than enough for me. Make me come, Sue-Ellen, with your hand please." She leaned over him. Without taking her hand away she delivered a deep and sensuous kiss to him. Then she knelt up and took him in both of her hands. "Oh God, honey!" he sighed as she alternated harder strokes with softer ones. He lay still and closed his eyes. He was on the brink of momentary oblivion as she touched him in the way that in the early days of their marriage he had taught her. He reached over to fondle her breasts once more. The brush of his finger against her nipple sent him over the edge. Sue-Ellen giggled at the power she wielded over him at that moment. It was intoxicating to her, just as it had always been.

JR kissed her a final time before getting out of bed. If he didn't return to the rodeo soon his parents would suspect that something was up. "Honey, lie there and rest now. I love you. You have made me so happy, I can't tell you how much" he told her as he began to get dressed. Sue-Ellen watched him. She was relieved but at the same time scared that today's feelings for him might not last. When he had gone she resolved to call Maggie for advice. He showered her with tender kisses before leaving the room. "When it's all over I'll be back" he murmured, nibbling her ear.

Sue-Ellen left it several minutes after he had gone before picking up the telephone. She didn't want JR to know that she was frightened by the rapidity of her progression from the smallest of shows of affection to what they had just done together. "Maggie? It's Sue-Ellen. I'm sorry to bother you on a Saturday but I need to talk" she began. "Go on, Sue-Ellen. It's fine. If you need to talk, we talk" her therapist advised. Maggie listened carefully to what her patient had to say. The young woman was brutally honest in her depiction of what she and JR had done together, their professional relationship having developed into one of total trust. When she was done Maggie responded. "So, you're apprehensive about what happens next? That's totally normal. However, I would advise that you treat today as very good news. Sue-Ellen, you have reconnected with your husband in a natural and unforced way. The fact that you felt jealous when you saw him with that woman is positive. It demonstrates that deep down your feelings for and about him hadn't actually changed. The next time he goes to touch you, if you feel unsure, take yourself back to the place that you were in when you were staring at them on the dancefloor. You may feel a little fragile after this and that is perfectly fine. I'm going to come out to see you on Monday if that's alright. We need to build on the progress that you have made today. Oh, and by the way, I'm proud of you!"

Sue-Ellen was pleased and reassured by the conversation. She had found it hard to understand why she had behaved in the way she had. To be advised that this was normal, almost to be expected, was a relief. She loved JR and soon they would have a second child together. All she wanted was to restore the passionate and extremely physical connection that they had shared as quickly as possible.

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	133. Chapter 134

JR kissed his sleeping wife's lips gently. "Come on honey. The rodeo is over and mama is serving a light supper for the family in an hour. It's good that you have managed to rest but you also need to eat. I'm going to take a quick shower and change while you come to" he told her, stroking her cheek. Sue-Ellen opened her eyes. She watched as her husband began to undress. JR did not have the athletic body that Bobby possessed but he did have a broad chest and shoulders and strong, masculine upper arms, she thought. As he turned she appreciated his firm buttocks and muscular thighs. JR flashed a cheeky grin at her. "What are you looking at?" he asked. "My husband" she replied. At that she got out of bed and approached him. Placing her hand at the back of his neck she drew him in for a lingering kiss. "Mmm, sugar, that's so good but if we don't get a move on we'll be late" he murmured. "Do you think it would speed things up if we showered together?" she asked seductively. JR slipped her nightgown off her shoulders permitting it to fall to the floor and took her hand to guide her into the bathroom.

Patricia watched as her daughter and son-in-law came down the stairs. They looked very happy together which pleased her. Their temporary separation had rocked her but if their behaviour towards each other at this point was anything to go by they had patently overcome their difficulties, she thought. However, being the suspicious type that she was, her instincts told her that the family were keeping something back and she was keen to know what. Had it just been her imagination or had Sue-Ellen seemed somewhat coy about her health? Was the introduction to Mrs Anderson a diversion tactic on the part of Miss Ellie? She wondered.

Over the dinner table that evening she noted how attentive JR was to his young wife. All she needs to do now is give birth to a son, she mused, as she observed the interaction between them. Then her place in the Ewing family would be completely assured. Pam's absence from the table was not lost on Patricia either. "I understand that Pam is in Paris, Bobby?" she asked. "With work?" Bobby nodded. Pam had called him a little earlier. She was having a ball, she told him, which made Bobby feel somewhat conflicted. He had eventually given the trip his blessing but he missed her and wished that she was home. He also contemplated with a degree of anxiety how many other trips there would be now that his wife was a full-time womenswear buyer for The Store again.

"I'm not a great believer in married women going out to work" Patricia commented. "A wife's place is in the home, looking after her husband" she added, looking pointedly at Sue-Ellen. "Well that's not very forward thinking is it?" Bobby replied. Her contribution had annoyed him. "Nonsense, Bobby! Patricia's right" Jock interjected. "Your wife should have been here today not gallivanting around France!" JR glanced at Bobby and smirked. He loved it when his father and brother disagreed. Miss Ellie and Sue-Ellen sighed simultaneously and then smiled discreetly at each other. They had just shared the same thought- Sue-Ellen's mother's innate ability to cause strife.

"Do I take it that yours and Kristin's next visit will be after Sue-Ellen gives birth?" Miss Ellie asked, deftly changing the subject. "Oh yes, we're both so excited!" Patricia replied, smiling in that insincere way that she had mastered when in social company. The reality was that she had chosen to spend the minimum amount of time with her granddaughter in preference for socialising with a selection of the richest and most powerful guests at the rodeo. It was Kristin, guided by Lucy, who had enjoyed spending time fussing over and playing with her little niece. Sue-Ellen's children, her grandchildren, were just currency, insurance even, to Patricia. Minimal interaction, to maintain the appearance of grandparental interest, was all that she desired.

Patricia cleared her throat. The question that she was going to ask would be directed at Sue-Ellen but she also wanted to gauge the reaction of the entire family. "Sue-Ellen, dear, you haven't told me anything about how your pregnancy has been progressing lately. Has everything been fine with you and the baby?" Sue-Ellen paused. She needed thinking time. JR squeezed her knee. The others present at the table went quiet. Lucy shifted nervously in her seat. She was on a warning by her grandmother not to open her mouth. Patricia immediately sensed that she was onto something.

"Well the fact is" Sue-Ellen began. She started to remember some of the discussions that she had with Maggie concerning her relationship with Patricia and decided to go for it. "I have pre-eclampsia, mother. That's high blood pressure and, until recently, I've been on complete bed rest. It made me feel low so I have had some treatment for depression as well. However, I am now feeling much better so there is nothing to worry about. JR and the rest of the family have been very good to me over this difficult time" she announced.

Patricia was put out. She hated to be the last in the know. "And who decided to keep all of this from me then?" she demanded. "I did" Sue-Ellen replied calmly. "Why on earth would you do that?" "Because I knew exactly how you would react and there was absolutely no point in worrying you when I have been receiving such good care here." "And the rest of you? Jock, Miss Ellie? Didn't you think I had a right to know?" Before his parents could answer JR spoke. "Sue-Ellen is no longer a Shepard. She's a Ewing. If she says she doesn't wish you to know something we respect that. Now that's an end to the subject, Patricia. Sue-Ellen is my wife and I will take care of her."

"Alright then" Patricia responded churlishly. "I'm sure you have it all under control." Lucy looked at her uncle proudly. When it came down to it nobody beats the Ewing family, she thought as she carried on eating. Sue-Ellen rose to her feet. "Thank you Miss Ellie. That was most enjoyable. If you'll all excuse me though I am rather tired and I'm going to go up. I'll check on Ella on the way" she announced.

JR also got up. "I'm bushed as well. Been a hectic day hasn't it? Patricia, Kristin, your limo to the airport tomorrow morning is all booked. It will be here at nine. If we're not up have a safe and pleasant journey now."

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	134. Chapter 135

For several weeks following the rodeo life at Southfork was calm and settled in character. Miss Ellie surveyed the breakfast table and was content with what she saw. JR and Sue-Ellen seemed happier than ever. She watched with delight as the couple made sure that Ella had enough for breakfast. The little girl was holding a finger of buttered toast in her chubby little hand. "Good girl, Ella, eat that all up for mama and daddy" JR encouraged her. Sue-Ellen smiled widely at her husband and daughter. Miss Ellie had her doubts about the benefits of psychological therapy at first but she now had to admit that Dr Ashworth's involvement with her daughter-in-law had been worth every penny. Sue-Ellen was still seeing Maggie but the frequency of her visits had been reduced to once a week as her patient neared her due date. The plan was that the therapy would continue after the young woman had given birth to ensure her long-term recovery. JR was completely supportive. He had seen for himself how Sue-Ellen was developing into a confident and assertive woman through the process and it pleased him.

Miss Ellie turned her attention to Bobby and Pam. Pam's trip had been a good thing for the young couple, she thought, as she watched them chatting and laughing at some private joke between them. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, Miss Ellie reflected. They had truly missed each other and their reunion had been heartfelt and passionate. It was a great relief to witness the re-invigoration of their marriage. Miss Ellie secretly hoped for another pregnancy for Pam. The young couple certainly seemed to spend a lot of their free time alone in their room these days and Miss Ellie was sufficiently worldly-wise to know what they were getting up to. It would be just marvellous if they had a baby, she mused.

Even Lucy appeared to be growing in maturity. Miss Ellie considered that the presence and influence of Lucy's two young aunts in the household was proving to be beneficial to the young girl. Each of them took an interest in her, advised her and showed her that they cared. It could have been a coincidence, she mused, but the regular letters from and summonses into school to discuss Lucy's impudent behaviour were much reduced these days.

Jock looked up from his newspaper and caught his wife's eye. He had grown accustomed to Miss Ellie's habit of sitting back just watching the rest of them. It was her way of analysing how the family were functioning at any given time. This morning he appreciated that she had concluded that all was well. They returned a smile at each other before he returned to his reading.

The men began to prepare to leave for work. JR kissed Sue-Ellen tenderly. Nowadays he was confident that she would reciprocate his affection. She kissed him back, leaning in to him with her body. "Have a good day and make sure you get enough rest, honey" he advised her before kissing his little girl on the cheek. "Be good for mama, sweetheart." Ella opened and closed her hand to her daddy. It was her cute way of copying his wave. Her father returned the gesture again, smiling as he did so. Pam got up from the table seconds after Bobby. "I may as well get off now. We have a new line coming in and I'm excited to be involved in the lay-out for it. Bobby can I come in with you, please?" The young couple walked to Bobby's Mercedes arm in arm.

"Lucy, hurry dear or you'll miss the school bus" Miss Ellie told her. The young girl picked up her school bag and took herself off quickly down the drive. "Peace at last!" Miss Ellie joked to Sue-Ellen. "Is your therapist due today?" Sue-Ellen nodded. "Yes, she's due this afternoon, just after lunch, Miss Ellie. I'm going to take Ella up to the nursery. The nanny can take care of her. I think I need to have a lie down for a couple of hours." "I'll take her" Miss Ellie replied. "I love to have her and I've nothing else on this morning." Sue-Ellen thanked her and made to go upstairs.

After a very enjoyable morning playing with her granddaughter Miss Ellie asked Teresa to set out a simple lunch of sandwiches and salad for herself and Sue-Ellen. However, when she went up to tell her daughter-in-law that the meal was ready, unusually, Sue-Ellen declined to join her. "I feel a little nauseous, Miss Ellie. I just can't face it. I might feel like something later" the young woman informed her. "Are you alright? I mean this is not something that I should be worried about?" Miss Ellie asked anxiously. "No, don't be concerned. It's probably the heat. This weather is hard work when I'm this big" Sue-Ellen reassured her.

When Maggie arrived Miss Ellie told her to go on up. "I'll fetch you both some iced tea before you make a start" she told the doctor. "Thank you, Mrs Ewing. It's sweltering today isn't it?" the doctor responded. As Maggie entered the bedroom she noted that Sue-Ellen looked paler than usual. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "A bit sick to be honest" she responded. "I didn't feel like lunch and that's not like me. My appetite has been very healthy of late." "Okay well we'll take it a little easier today as you're feeling fragile."

Miss Ellie entered with the tray. She set it down on the ottoman at the end of the bed. She poured out two glasses and handed them to Maggie and Sue-Ellen before exiting the room. "So, Sue-Ellen let's focus on the positives in your life today. Shall we start with how things are with JR?" "We're great, honestly. I can't believe how far we have come lately. I'm back to where I was before. I love being with him and I miss him when he's at work." "Do you think things might change when the new baby comes?" Sue-Ellen paused to consider her answer. "It would be unrealistic not to. We'll have two children under the age of one and my hormones are probably going to be all over the place. What I do know is that JR will support me. He did after Ella was born. It surprised me to be honest that he was as active in assisting me as he was."

"And you as a mother? Ella has been the focus of your life for the last eight months. Prepare to find it hard to divide your time between the two babies and, if you do, make sure you let JR know" Maggie advised. Sue-Ellen suddenly looked vacant. She put her hand up to her head. "Sue-Ellen? Are you alright?" the doctor asked. Before the young woman could respond she vomited violently all over the bed. "Shit!" Maggie exclaimed. She ran to the top of the stairs. "Mrs. Ewing! Call an ambulance right now. Sue-Ellen is very sick and needs to go to hospital right away!" Miss Ellie picked up the phone and dialled whilst Maggie returned to her patient. Sue-Ellen was clutching her temples. "it's agony! I can't see!" she cried. "Lie still. Help is on the way."

Miss Ellie joined them. "Oh no, dear God!" she exclaimed. "Call Dr Scott" Maggie advised. "Something tells me that this baby will need to be born today!"

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	135. Chapter 136

Dr Scott and her team were waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The doctor knew that time was of the essence. The operating theatre had been prepared and a paediatrician was on stand-by. A Caesarian Section had to be carried out as rapidly as possible if there was to be any chance of saving her patient and the baby. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt right outside the entrance to the Dallas Memorial Maternity Unit. Miss Ellie had travelled with Sue-Ellen, leaving Maggie behind to make the series of telephone calls that were obviously necessary. Teresa helped by supplying her with the numbers. The three Ewing men rushed out of their building together. They jumped in Bobby's car, a brief assessment of the state of mind that they were in indicated that he would be the safest to drive in the circumstances. Pam dropped what she was doing, picked up her clutch bag and left. She stood on the pavement, cursing in frustration as she tried but failed to hail a cab.

Sue-Ellen, who by that time was drifting in and out of consciousness, was rushed straight through to the operating theatre. Dr Scott was relieved to hear from Miss Ellie that, other than a light breakfast, her patient hadn't eaten all day. They had to put her under immediately. There was no time to wait. As the swing doors of the theatre closed Miss Ellie began to cry. A nurse guided her to the waiting room. The way was familiar. It seemed only as if yesterday that the family had gathered there in anxious anticipation of Ella's birth.

Oh no, she thought as she took a seat. If this baby survives he or she is going to be even tinier than Ella was. She didn't know how big a baby had to be before it was viable but her instinct told her that her grandchild could be right on the borderline. Head in hands she began to pray, for the child and Sue-Ellen. It had been so terrible to witness her young daughter-in-law's suffering. Miss Ellie had felt so helpless and lost. Had there been anything else that she should have done? She wondered. Why hadn't she insisted on ringing the doctor when Sue-Ellen first complained of feeling nauseous? Tears trickled one after the other down her cheek.

"Ellie!" Jock cried leading the way for the three men to enter the room. "What happened?" "She had a massive collapse, Jock. It was awful. Dr Ashworth had just arrived. She helped me." "Where is she mama? I want to see her" JR demanded. "I'm sorry you can't, JR. She's in theatre. The baby must be born now if they are going to have any chance of surviving this." JR was visibly crushed. Jock and Bobby sat him down. "Come on boy. She's in excellent hands. They are doing all they can" Jock encouraged him. "Daddy's right, JR, don't lose hope" Bobby advised. At that Pam came rushing in. A brief glance at each of their faces spoke volumes. "Oh no!" she cried. Bobby went to her. She buried her face in his chest and started to cry. There was nothing more to be said.

Dr Scott worked quickly yet deftly on her patient. Over the years she had grown accustomed to carrying out emergency C-Sections although the urgency of the current situation was even greater than usual. As she lifted the tiny form of Sue-Ellen's baby from her womb ready to pass the child to the paediatrician her patient suddenly flat-lined. The theatre descended into chaos as one of the medics charged the defibrillator and Dr Scott began CPR manually. As they did so a weak cry from the other end of the theatre could be heard. At least the baby's alive, the doctor thought, as she anxiously obeyed the command to stand back. The first shock produced nothing. "Again" Dr Scott ordered. Nothing. "Again" she repeated, almost shrieking. She had never lost a patient before and the young Mrs Ewing wasn't going to be the exception. The third shock was performed. At first the result appeared the same as the two that had preceded it. However, after several agonising seconds, the monitor sprang to life with a beep followed by another and then another. The attending medics then busied themselves with what needed to come next. The placenta needed to be extracted and Sue-Ellen sewn up. As they began again the anaesthetist decided to keep a close eye on the monitor. There was a distinct risk of a further cardiac arrest, he thought, as he watched the steady beep and willed it on to continue.

"What's going on?" JR asked a nurse who had looked in to the waiting room. "She seems to have been in there for ages." The nurse offered to go and find out anything she could about his wife's condition. JR sprang to his feet. "This is all my fault" he announced. "How is it all your fault, JR?" his father asked. "It just is, daddy. Sue-Ellen should never have been made pregnant so quickly again" he answered flatly. Miss Ellie patted his hand. "Nobody could have predicted this, JR. Sue-Ellen has always been so healthy and strong."

The door opened. Dr Scott was flushed from her exertions. Removing her operating gown she sat down and beckoned JR to do the same. Miss Ellie noted that his hands were shaking. "Mr Ewing, you have a son. He isn't in good condition, though, because of his prematurity. He has been taken to the specialist neonatal unit to be looked after." JR was reeling. "And Sue-Ellen?" he asked frantically. "She's in intensive care. We have induced a coma to keep her as stable as we can whilst her blood pressure comes down." JR and the family breathed a collective sigh of relief. She was alive. "The next 72 hours will be critical for Sue-Ellen. I must inform you that her heart stopped at one point whilst she was in theatre. We managed to re-start it but not without a struggle." Miss Ellie and Pam began to cry again. The information that the doctor was imparting coolly and without emotion was truly shocking.

"The child?" Jock asked. "How long before he might be considered out of the woods?" "The neonatologist will be able to tell you more. From my point of view I would advise you to take every day as it comes. Some days babies as tiny as he is seem to be doing well but then, for reasons that we don't yet perfectly understand, their condition radically declines. Do you want to come with me to see him?"

Jock and Miss Ellie nodded. JR shook his head. "No I want to see my wife" he replied firmly. "I want to be with Sue-Ellen." "Alright then, I'll take you there and I'll get a nurse to escort the rest of you to see the little one." JR felt sick as Dr Scott held the door of the cubicle open for him. "She looks fine, Mr Ewing. It's just like she is asleep. She is wired up to some monitors and we have intubated her so prepare yourself for that" she advised him kindly. She could sense his massive apprehension. JR nodded and thanked her for all she had done. "Don't stay too long now" she told him. "Oh no, doctor, I'm not leaving her side" he countered. The doctor decided not to debate the point with him. He was clearly in shock.

JR sat down at the side of the bed. His stomach lurched as he looked at her face. She is so beautiful and good, he thought. She doesn't deserve this. He gently stroked her cheek, taking care not to disturb the tube and the various wires emanating from her. He wondered if she had any concept of his presence. Probably not, he concluded. At that he began to cry, uncontrollably, as he had never cried before.

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	136. Chapter 137

Dr Scott re-entered the cubicle. She was holding a pillow and a blanket which she offered to JR. "Thank you" he said, accepting the items. He had no intention of sleeping, though. A nurse entered the room and set a large mug of steaming hot coffee down on the bedside table. "There's plenty more where that came from, Mr. Ewing" she advised him kindly. "Will you be here all night?" he asked the doctor. "Yes I most certainly will. I'm going to be checking on Sue-Ellen at least once an hour" Janet told him.

"Why has this happened?" he asked. "A sudden and unexpected rise in your wife's blood pressure" she responded calmly. "I thought we had her under control. I was wrong." "Is it because I got her pregnant again so soon after our first baby?" He had to know the answer even if it meant that he was definitely to blame. "Highly doubtful, Mr Ewing. I'll be honest. I didn't think another baby for Sue-Ellen so soon after what she had been through with your daughter was a particularly good idea. However, this could have happened in any subsequent pregnancy, no matter how long the gap."

She picked up the clipboard from the end of the bed and began noting down the readings on the machine. JR had never felt so helpless. His wife's life now lay in the hands of the English woman who stood before him. She looked so serene, so in control, he thought. Inside, however, the doctor was still shaken by how close she had come to losing her patient earlier. She said a short prayer in her head, never once losing the appearance of total professionalism, and then made to leave. "Try to get some sleep, Mr. Ewing. Your wife is going to need you to stay strong for her" she said as she closed the door behind her.

The rest of the family gathered at the windows of the neonatal unit. "The baby is that little one in incubator three" the nurse advised them. They gazed at his tiny little form. "He's so small yet so perfect" Pam commented, tears rolling down her cheeks. The nurse nodded. "Stay as long as you like" she commented before withdrawing to permit the family some privacy. Miss Ellie buried her head in Jock's chest. "She was just seven months gone, Jock. Can babies survive such prematurity?" she asked. "He's alive, Miss Ellie. Where there's life there has to be hope" her husband reassured her. He wasn't going to show it but, inside, Jock was a wreck. He'd dreamed many a time of the day that Sue-Ellen gave birth, of announcing to all his friends and colleagues the arrival of John Ross Ewing the Third. He had been so certain that this child would be a boy that the thought of another granddaughter hadn't even entered his head. Yet here he was, watching the little one fight for his life, his mother fighting for hers at the same time. He had to hold back the tears that were welling in his eyes. He must keep it together for the sake of the others, he determined, as he looked away and discreetly wiped his eyes.

"I want to sit with JR for a while" Bobby announced. Amidst all the chaos, upset and confusion old feelings for Sue-Ellen had risen suddenly and powerfully to the surface. Sue-Ellen meant more to Bobby than any of the others knew. He had moved on with Pam, whom he truly loved, but where his sister-in-law was concerned there remained considerable weakness. Bobby wanted to see her, to be with her but to do so he had to mask his feelings with the pretext that he was offering support to his brother.

"Good idea, Bobby" his father told him. "We'll stay here for a while longer and then go home." "It doesn't seem right to leave him" Pam responded. "John Ross will be all alone and I don't want him to be. He doesn't deserve it." She was the first to speak the tiny baby's name. To her it felt completely natural to do so. "John Ross Ewing the Third" Jock whispered. His heart ached as he contemplated the possibility that his first grandson, bearer of his and his son's name, might not make it. "I know Pamela, but there's nothing really that we can do here is there? Plus, there's Ella and Lucy to consider. We are all going to have to pull together as a family, to support those children as well, in the difficult times ahead" Miss Ellie advised her. Pam nodded. As ever, her mother-in-law was right.

Bobby kissed Pam on the cheek. "I'll be home soon, honey. I just want to make sure that JR is alright." As he entered the cubicle JR looked up. "Hello, Bob" he greeted him, sadly. Bobby stared at Sue-Ellen's lifeless form. Even like this she was devastatingly beautiful, he thought. "What am I going to do?" JR asked him tearfully. Bobby shook his head. "Pray, just pray, JR. That's all you can do." Bobby gently stroked his sister-in-law's hand and then placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "We've seen your son, JR" he told him. "He is gorgeous, absolutely perfect. Do you want to come and see him?" "No, I'm not leaving Sue-Ellen tonight. I'll see him tomorrow" JR replied gruffly.

Dr Scott came back in. She assessed the readings on the monitor and wrote them down again. "How is she doing?" Bobby asked. "She's stable, which is good. However, her blood pressure isn't coming down anything like as quickly as I would have wanted. Her heart rate is somewhat fast as well" she explained. It wasn't looking good, she thought sadly, as she exited the cubicle.

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 **Thank you for all the reviews. JR III was conceived on New Year's Eve so Sue-Ellen's due date would have been around the end of September. In my story we have got to approximately the end of July. In the seventies it would have been difficult/ almost impossible for a baby below seven months' gestation to survive although nowadays advances in medicine mean that much tinier babies have a chance. Hope that makes sense. I am going to be updating the story- to torture you all- ha ha! However from the end of next week I will be abroad on holiday : ) so there will be a gap of about 17 days. I will continue writing when I get back : )**


	137. Chapter 138

Janet gently touched JR's shoulder. Sleep had finally captured him, despite his every endeavour to remain awake, just before 5am. He jumped at the woman's touch. For a second he didn't know where he was. Then the horror of yesterday hit him. "Is she alright? I mean nothing has happened has it?" he asked anxiously, surveying the room for any sign of change. "You should go home, Mr Ewing. Take a shower and have a rest. It would be nice if you could bring a fresh nightgown for Sue-Ellen when you return. The one she has on now is hospital supply- not what your wife is used to" the doctor advised him. "I don't want to leave her though. What if something happens while I'm away?" he asked frantically. "Look, Sue-Ellen has had a reasonable night in the circumstances. You have your daughter and son to think of as well. Have you been to see your new baby yet?" she asked. JR shook his head. "I was afraid to leave her. How is he?" "He held his own overnight. Every minute counts, you know" she replied.

"In any event I've enlisted a colleague to help Sue-Ellen. He's an expert in emergency medicine and he's written papers on eclampsia. He's coming to examine her this morning. You would have to wait outside while he does so." "Anything you think will help, Dr Scott. By all means get this fella in as soon as possible." "Go home, if only for an hour or two, Mr Ewing, and let us get on with treating your wife" she stated firmly. JR got up stiffly from the armchair. For once he was going to do what he was told. He stooped to kiss his wife, relieved to find that she remained warm. It was just as if she was sleeping. In a way he supposed that she was.

By the time he arrived home the family had already received a telephone update from the hospital. Even Lucy couldn't fail to be sympathetic towards her uncle. "Uncle JR, I'm real sorry" she told him sincerely and with sadness in her voice. JR nodded and thanked the young girl before taking a sip of coffee. "Have you seen John Ross this morning?" Pam asked. "Yes I have. He's a Ewing, a fighter" JR lied. The truth was that when he had left Sue-Ellen's cubicle he could easily have walked down the corridor to take a first peep at his son. However, he had chosen not to. Was he too afraid? He wondered. All he knew was that at that moment he just couldn't bring himself to see his baby.

He walked upstairs to the nursery. Ella had pulled herself up to stand in the cot. "Dada" she babbled as she spied her father. "Oh darling, mama and daddy love you so, so much" he responded as he picked his daughter up. Being close to the little girl was the nearest thing to having Sue-Ellen back. He buried his face in her downy, soft hair and inhaled. She always smelt so good, just like her mama, he mused as he selected some toys from her box to occupy her with. Suddenly a dread thought occurred to him. What would Ella do without her mama? He couldn't begin to compensate for the lack of a maternal presence in his daughter's life, even with the assistance of his mother. He placed the little girl back in her cot, offering her the toys as an appeasement. She began to protest but as he was on the edge of tears, which he did not want the child to witness, he backed away. "I'll take over here, JR" Pam offered. She could tell he was on the brink of a breakdown. Unusually, where his sister-in-law was concerned, he made no protest. "Thank you, Pam" he responded as he watched the young woman take hold of his child. "Come to aunty Pam, sweetie pie. Daddy's very tired."

Entering their bedroom he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. It was no use. He was never going to fall asleep, he decided. Instead, he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The sooner he got back to Dallas Memorial the better he reckoned as he stepped under the warm water. In the mirror he spied Sue-Ellen's dressing area. Rows of the most elegant and fashionable clothing and shelves of designer shoes, neatly laid out and colour coded, evidenced her presence in his life. He prayed that she would live to wear all the fine things that being married to him had provided. She deserves it, and more, he thought, with a profound sense of sadness.

He didn't bother to shave. Waste of time, he concluded, as he got dressed. Then he turned his attention to what Sue-Ellen needed, recalling Dr Scott's advice about his wife's need to be comfortable. He selected a couple of her demurer nightgowns from her closet together with some underwear and toiletries that he felt would be appropriate. He would consult with his mother over the suitability of the items when he went downstairs. He paused. She had left the cardigan that she had been wearing over the back of the chair. No doubt she was intending to put it back on after her rest because, otherwise, it would have been folded and put away. He smiled to himself as he reflected on her fastidious nature. He picked up the garment and held it to his face. It was made of the softest cashmere but, more than that, it smelt of her perfume. Tears trickled once again down his face as he placed the cardigan back where he had found it. Nobody was to touch or disturb her things he resolved to himself.

When he returned to the hospital he made straight for the intensive care unit. Seeing and being with his son was fleetingly considered and then rejected. He would visit him later. Sue-Ellen needed him more right at this moment, he thought, justifying his decision to himself. When he entered the cubicle, overnight bag in hand, his stomach lurched and he felt faint. She was gone.

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	138. Chapter 139

JR felt his legs about to give way. He clutched the doorframe to steady himself. He was hyperventilating. "Mr Ewing? You're back early." The voice sharpened his senses and stopped his head from swimming. "Oh no! Don't worry. Sue-Ellen is still very much with us. This is Professor Jeremy White, the doctor that I told you about" Janet informed him. The man nodded to JR. "I wanted to assess whether your wife's cardiac arrest yesterday has caused any long term damage to her heart. We are performing an ECG which, so far, looks good" he told him. "Then what?" JR stammered. "In a day or two we extubate her, to get her breathing independently, and then we attempt to bring her round." It all sounded so straightforward coming from the mouth of a man who did this sort of thing most days of the week. "I'm cautiously optimistic, Mr Ewing. The fact that Sue-Ellen survived overnight is a very good sign in my experience."

JR breathed a huge sigh of relief. "For a moment there I thought I'd lost her" he commented, almost embarrassed by his emotional display. "I must apologise for the shock that we gave you" Janet began. "We expected you to be at home rather longer than you were. Whilst you were away we decided to get the test over and done with." "It's alright. I'm fine now" JR responded, trying to appear calm and collected. At that a nurse arrived with a print out of the test results. "Excellent." The Professor passed the document to Janet for her inspection.

Two hospital orderlies then arrived with the gurney carrying Sue-Ellen. The doctors took over and, with the assistance of a nurse, they settled her back into bed, re-attaching the wires to the monitor and ensuring that she had a sufficient flow of oxygen. JR stood in the doorway watching. He had no control over what was happening and it frightened and discomfited him. "Now, you just sit down and spend some time with your wife" Janet told him. "Oh and don't forget to visit your son, Mr Ewing. He needs his daddy to be there for him." "My family will be here imminently. They can fuss over the boy" he responded determinedly. As she withdrew Janet worried about her patient's husband. Was he deliberately rejecting his child or was it just marital devotion keeping him away? She wondered. She knew from Sue-Ellen that he had been a doting father to Ella from the word go so it couldn't be down to any wider emotional or psychological problem on his part. Experience told her, however, not to push it. He had suffered a major shock and would probably come round eventually. She smiled at the thought of the little baby that she had delivered. He was beautiful, just perfect, she mused as she walked towards the neonatal unit to take another look. The child wasn't her patient but she couldn't fail to care about him.

"Good morning Dr Scott" Pam and Miss Ellie greeted her. "Isn't he gorgeous?" Pam asked. The doctor nodded. "He certainly is." Silence descended as the three women gazed through the window. The tiny figure that was the subject of their interest stretched his little arms and gave out a small cry. A nurse went to attend to him. Miss Ellie cringed slightly as she watched the nurse deliver a feed to the little boy slowly and carefully via a naso-gastric tube. Dr Scott sensed her apprehension. "Don't worry, Mrs Ewing. Little John is too small to be able to suck on a bottle at present. This is the most effective way of feeding him" she advised. Miss Ellie nodded sadly. "The main thing is that he's tolerating the feeds. That's a good sign in these early days." Pam patted her mother-in-law's hand as a gesture of reassurance.

"I take it that JR is with Sue-Ellen?" Pam asked. "Yes. He seems determined not to leave his wife's side. That's fine for now but he also needs to see his son" Janet responded. "If she recovers, and we are optimistic that she will do, Sue-Ellen's recuperation will be a slow process. While that happens their baby will need his father to provide as much care for him as possible. The merest of touches and the sound of his daddy's voice will be immensely important to this little one as he grows and develops."

"Is there something that we should be worried about, doctor?" Miss Ellie asked. Dr Scott shook her head. She had already said too much. "Oh no, your son's dedication to his wife is admirable. I'm sure that he will soon realise that he needs to begin to divide his time between her and the baby though" she replied diplomatically. "I must go now. I'll probably see you later."

JR stared at Sue-Ellen. He reached over and stroked her hair. It was so soft, he thought. His fingers lingered over her cheek. Her skin was just perfect. In that moment there was only the two of them. No Ewing Oil, no feuding with Bobby and no hatred of the Barnes family, just them, he pondered as he made to hold her hand. If she managed to survive he resolved to be the best husband to her that he could. They would enjoy life together, spend time with each other and he would spoil her with only the best that he could provide. Thoughts of parental duty were lost on him. His sole focus at that moment was on her, the beauty queen who had captured his heart with her devastating ability to be sexy and ladylike at the same time. He glanced at the monitor, relieved by the activity on screen and the sound of the slow, steady beep that told him she was still with him.

Suddenly he remembered Patricia. She had a right to know what had occurred no matter what he thought of her. He got up and exited the room, scouring for the nearest payphone. "Patricia? It's JR. I think you had better sit down. I have some news for you."

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	139. Chapter 140

JR and the rest of the family waited anxiously outside the cubicle. The medical staff seemed to be taking ages, JR worried. Finally, Professor White emerged. "Mr. Ewing, we tried to extubate Sue-Ellen but when we did so it became immediately apparent that she was experiencing respiratory distress. For the sake of her cardiac function we have re-intubated her." JR shook his head. His disappointment was palpable.

"Mr Ewing, I half expected this. It's not uncommon. When your wife is strong enough we will successfully bring her round" the man reassured him. Dr Scott nodded. If her colleague couldn't help Sue-Ellen then nobody could. "Go and spend some time with your baby" she advised. "Sue-Ellen is perfectly stable and we don't expect that to change." JR shook his head. "I'll go later. Right now I want to see my wife" he replied.

Miss Ellie glanced at Jock. It had been four days since Sue-Ellen gave birth and, to date, JR had not visited his son to her knowledge. The nursing staff on the neonatal unit had begun encouraging the family to touch John Ross in his incubator, to demonstrate to the little boy that they were there for him. Miss Ellie and Pam had started to spend increasing amounts of time with the baby, holding his tiny hand and speaking to him. In their own way they were compensating for JR's absence from his life.

As JR returned to his wife Miss Ellie began to address her husband. "Jock, there's no way of avoiding the conversation with JR that needs to happen" she began. "The fact is that he is rejecting his own son. It's as if he blames the poor child for the condition that Sue-Ellen is in." "No he isn't, Ellie. The boy just needs time" Jock replied gruffly. "No, Jock, you're wrong. I see the expression on his face every time one of us mentions John Ross. There's no emotion whatsoever. There's nothing there and that's the reality." "Do you want me to speak to him?" Jock asked. "Yes I do." Pam patted Miss Ellie's hand and breathed a sigh of relief. She had been keeping her thoughts to herself but, in truth, she shared her mother-in-law's concern.

The two women began to walk to the neonatal unit, leaving Jock and Bobby behind. Bobby diplomatically offered to fetch some coffee, leaving his father to confront JR. He was hoping to see Sue-Ellen at some point before he returned to the office but realised that a certain conversation between his father and brother needed to take place first. Jock entered the cubicle. He found JR sitting as closely as he could to his wife's bed. He was talking to her about Ella, his hand in hers. JR paused when he sensed his father's presence. He was a little embarrassed. "Son, we need to talk" Jock began. JR looked at him quizzically. "Daddy?"

Jock pulled up a chair to face JR. "Your devotion to Sue-Ellen is admirable" he started. "However, just down that corridor you have a son, a son who needs his father right now. Your mother is worried. She says you don't visit the boy. JR, you need to pull yourself together" he advised. JR nodded disingenuously. "Yes sir, I will" he responded although he didn't mean it. "Well then?" Jock asked expectantly. "I'll stay here with Sue-Ellen and Bobby will be back any minute. Go and see your boy" he commanded. JR rose to his feet. He felt sick. He didn't understand why he was feeling the way that he was. He had convinced himself that all would be well after Sue-Ellen came round. She would help him to bond with his boy, he had thought, as he reflected on his irrational resistance to spending time with his baby.

He walked slowly down the corridor, following the signs as he went. His stomach lurched as he spotted the entrance to the unit. He saw his mother gazing through the window and wondered where Pam was. As he approached Miss Ellie she instinctively turned towards him. She took his hand and pulled him towards the viewing area. His resistance and apprehension was palpable. "Come and see your beautiful son" she told him. He went to look through the glass but it was difficult to focus on the scene before him. "There he is" Miss Ellie indicated, nudging her son in the correct direction. "Pam's with him. Look JR, he's tiny but absolutely perfect."

He stared at the incubator, noting that his sister-in-law had placed her hand inside. She was stroking the little boy's arm and speaking to him. He looked at the child's face. He resembled Sue-Ellen save for the pudgy little nose that he recognised as his. "Isn't he gorgeous?" his mother asked, noting with relief that a tear was rolling down her son's cheek. JR nodded. "Like his mama" he replied. "Like his mama and his daddy. He looks like you when you were first born" she told him. "JR, you and Sue-Ellen made that lovely little baby together. At the moment his mama can't do anything for him but you can. He needs his father." JR nodded sadly.

Pam spotted JR. She withdrew her hand from the incubator and came out. "John Ross needs to meet his daddy" she advised him, giving JR a gentle push in the direction of the door. As they watched him enter the room the two women decided to withdraw. Pam put her arm around Miss Ellie. "Let's get a drink" she suggested. JR looked at the nurse in attendance. He was unsure of what to do. "Mr Ewing? Come and see your boy" the nurse encouraged him. Wash your hands carefully at the sink just over there and I'll give you a gown to put on" she advised him. He did as he was told. She guided him to the incubator and beckoned for him to sit down. Discreetly she took herself off to check on her other tiny patients.

JR stared at his son. His mother was right. He was even more perfect close up. He watched him breathe, his tiny chest rising and falling with the effort. Like his mother he was attached to a number of wires and he noted the feeding tube inserted in his nose. Forcing himself he placed his hand gingerly through the circular hole in the incubator. He touched John Ross's hand, at first fleetingly, and then for longer. He stroked the little boys' fingers and spoke. "Daddy's here, John Ross."

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	140. Chapter 141

As she watched JR sitting and tenderly interacting with his baby a thought occurred to his mother. "Patricia!" she exclaimed to Pam. Sue-Ellen's mother had struggled to obtain an immediate flight from Austin to Dallas when she first received the news from JR. "Time of year" she had been told when she attempted to make a booking. There was no way that she was going to make the journey by road, no matter how desperate the circumstances, she thought. In any event there was part of her that couldn't face what might lie ahead.

The hiatus in receiving her came as a relief to JR and the rest of the family. The last thing they needed right now was the woman's fussy and overbearing nature. However, the time had come when she was due to fly in, her younger daughter in tow, and the truth was that in the melee of all that was going on Miss Ellie, uncharacteristically, had forgotten to arrange for a car to collect them from the airport. "They can take a cab" Pam reassured her. "No, no, I'll telephone Raoul and ask him to call the limousine agency" her mother-in-law replied. Even in hard times there were appearances for the Ewings to keep up, she thought.

Patricia hadn't been able to settle after she had received JR's call. She had been a bundle of nerves, anxiously answering every call to her home expecting to hear the worst. As she took her seat on the plane she began to reflect on her relationship with her elder daughter. They had never really been close, she mused, and, since Sue-Ellen's marriage, the distance between them seemed to have grown ever wider. She moved on to consider her daughter as a wife and mother. There certainly had been problems between Sue-Ellen and JR but the bad times appeared to have been placed behind them, the interests of their children and the continuation of their union having been prioritised by the pair of them. She sighed as she recalled her son-in-law's uxorious attitude to her daughter. He gave her everything she wanted, and more. This was in marked contrast to her marriage in which physical affection was scarce and luxury even rarer.

A pang of sadness struck her when she went on to consider her daughter's parenting skills. They were far warmer, more instinctive and way more natural than what she had provided as a mother. She wondered where Sue-Ellen got that innate ability to attune herself to Ella's needs from and then, tragically, realised that the short time she had with her father had probably supplied her with more than enough of a parenting model to compensate for her maternal shortcomings.

"Mama, you need to fasten your seatbelt" Kristin told her. The young girl's words were sufficient to revert the woman to her usual default position. What was she thinking of? She had worked extremely hard to give her girls everything they needed and, in Sue-Ellen's case, it had paid off. She was a decent mother, she pondered, as she fastened the belt around her and steeled herself for take-off and what she was about to endure once she got to Dallas.

As the plane climbed into ascent Kristin looked sadly out of the window. She didn't really understand all that had happened in the last few days but, when she overheard her mother telling a neighbour that things weren't good, it had unsettled her greatly. She wasn't particularly close to her sister, the age gap having been too wide for them to have much in common as they grew up. However, she still loved and admired Sue-Ellen and, more than that, she had grown to become very fond of her baby niece whom she adored spending time with. She wondered about the little boy that Sue-Ellen and JR now also had and was a little apprehensive about seeing him, given what she had been told about how tiny and how sick he had been at birth. She glanced at her mother who was attempting to appear as if she was reading the newspaper. Kristin knew her mother well enough by now to realise that it was a façade and that her mother's thoughts were probably well and truly with Sue-Ellen and John Ross.

Back in Dallas JR returned to his wife's cubicle. He had spent over an hour with John Ross and then let his mother take over sitting with the little boy. He realised that this was how it would have to be, him dividing his time between his wife and son, before, hopefully, both were in good health and able to come home. Fleetingly he considered Ewing Oil but then dismissed the notion from his mind. The company would have to wait, he thought. No real harm would come to it in his temporary absence.

He took his seat next to Sue-Ellen's bed and held her hand. "I've just been to see our boy, Sue-Ellen" he told her. "He's a handsome little devil and he's strong. He, John Ross I mean, is more than holding his own. I wish you would wake up so that you could see him. I know it would be love at first sight. I was frightened for a time that I would love him only to lose him but I now realise that was an error of judgment on my part because he needs his daddy and his mama when you wake up. You are going to wake up, Sue-Ellen, you just have to."

"Mr Ewing?" Professor White interrupted him. "As Sue-Ellen's vital signs and cardiac function remain stable I suggest that we make a further attempt to extubate her and bring her round tomorrow" he suggested. JR nodded. "Whatever you think, doctor. Only please, please don't let me lose her. It would be more than I could bear."

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 **Thank you for all the lovely reviews. The story will be back : )**


	141. Chapter 142

Miss Ellie surveyed the waiting room. It had been just over an hour since the doctors had entered Sue-Ellen's cubicle to commence the attempt to bring her round. Silence pervaded the stark, clinical environment in which the family were gathered. JR had just returned from visiting his son. Whilst there he had been given some news that he didn't want to share with the others just yet. He had to focus on one issue at a time and the most prescient matter at that point was his wife being brought out of her induced coma.

Most unusually for her Patricia sat quietly, staring out of the window. Even she appreciated that now was not the time for conversation. Jock was trying to focus on the local newspaper but his wife readily understood that his thoughts were elsewhere. Pam stood up. "I'll go and sit with John Ross for a little while" she suggested. "Bobby, please come and find me when there is news."

It was her youngest son's behaviour that was, in fact, proving to be the source of the most anxiety on the part of his mother. Since Sue-Ellen had collapsed Bobby had become a devoted visitor to his sister-in-law's bedside, ostensibly as support for JR, but Miss Ellie suspected otherwise. Deep down Miss Ellie knew that what Lucy had accused Bobby of all that time ago was probably true. However, since his marriage to Pam and Sue-Ellen becoming a mother, she had convinced herself that all that nonsense had been placed behind him. Now she once again doubted her son's motives. She had seen for herself on a number of occasions when she peered through the window to the cubicle his interactions with Sue-Ellen when JR was away from her bedside visiting John Ross. Gentle whispers, small shows of affection such as stroking her face and holding her hand, more in keeping with a husband's concern for his stricken wife, had become the norm. Pam was fortunately oblivious to her husband's conduct. If she was not working at The Store she was with the two babies. However, that would all change once Sue-Ellen came round and regained her fitness to act as a mother once more. Where would that leave her youngest son's marriage? Miss Ellie wondered. She determined to have it out with Bobby if he continued to behave in the way that he had been doing.

She watched him. He appeared to be getting more worked up as the hands of the clock turned slowly and steadily towards the second hour. At one point he jumped up in frustration, drawing the attention of the family to himself. "Does anyone want coffee?" he asked. He was embarrassed and needed to create a diversion from the incongruity of his action. The attendant company shook their heads.

The door opened slowly. Professor White and Dr Scott entered. They were smiling. "Sue-Ellen is back with us" the man announced. "All her vital signs are stable and we are very confident of a full recovery." Miss Ellie patted JR's hand. She noted that he was shaking. "Thank you so much" JR answered. "When can I see her?" "Mr Ewing you can see her right now. She's asking for you" Dr Scott replied. "What about the rest of us?" Patricia enquired. "I'm her mother you know." "Sue-Ellen has been though something of an ordeal. For the time being I think it best just for her husband to see her. There will be plenty of time for the rest of the family to visit from tomorrow onwards" Dr Scott commented. The male doctor nodded his head in agreement.

As JR followed the two medics out of the room Miss Ellie scrutinised Bobby's reaction. His initial loud sighs of relief were now replaced by an expression that looked more like anger. Or was it envy? She pondered as she watched his eyes follow JR out of the room. "Let's go and tell Pam the good news, Bobby" Miss Ellie ventured. Her son nodded his head in assent. He was in deep turmoil. Why did JR have her and he didn't? He seethed. She was too beautiful and good for him. He then felt an immediate mixture of guilt and confusion. He had Pam now and she was wonderful. Why then did his sister-in-law continue, at times, to have such a powerful effect on him? Was it just because JR had her that he wanted her?

As JR followed Dr Scott and the Professor down the corridor he was offered some advice about what to expect when he first saw his wife. "Sue-Ellen is confused and distressed, Mr Ewing. It's only to be expected. She remembers nothing after the point that she collapsed" he was informed. "Does she know about our son?" "Yes we've told her and John Ross's prematurity is another source of anxiety and stress for her. I would advise you to remain as calm and as positive as you can with her. She's bound to have many questions for you. Just be reassuring" Dr Scott advised. JR nodded. "Of course, doctor."

As he entered the cubicle she weakly held her arms outstretched for him. "Oh JR! I'm so happy to see you" she cried, tears falling down her cheeks. "Not as glad as I am to see you honey" he responded, sitting down beside her and taking her into a gentle embrace. She was pale and felt thin, he mused as he held her close. He was upset for her but, in accordance with the advice he had received, he was determined not to demonstrate it. "Don't leave me, JR, will you?" she asked. "I'm not going anywhere, Sue-Ellen" he replied with utter conviction. He then began to tell her calmly all about what had happened, ending with the assurance that their son, the first boy of his generation, was holding his own. "He's gorgeous, darlin. Just like you" he told her, quickly putting out of his mind what he had been told about the condition of their little boy earlier for fear that she would sense his disquiet.

Bobby had excused himself from the neonatal unit on the pretext that he needed to get back to the office. Miss Ellie watched him go and noted that he had turned the wrong corner to exit the building. She knew where he was going. Words were going to have to be spoken, she thought, and for once it was she and not Jock who would have to do it. "Come on Pam, let's go for a celebratory lunch" she suggested. She didn't want her daughter-in-law to return to the Intensive Care Unit in case she saw Bobby there.

Bobby peered through the window to the door to Sue-Ellen's cubicle. He watched as his brother ministered to his young wife. As he observed JR brushing away her tears, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kissing her face tenderly he felt sick.

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	142. Chapter 143

"Necrotising enterocolitis, Mr Ewing. That's why your son isn't feeding as well as we would have liked at present" the Paediatrician informed him. JR looked bewildered. "It's a severe inflammation of the bowel, very common in premature babies I am afraid. We have tried John Ross on antibiotics. That and resting the bowel by naso-gastric feeding sometimes settles things down. However, in your son's case the scan shows, sadly, that there are parts of his bowel that are necrotised, dead effectively. Now that leads to a risk that there will be a rupture which would be life-threatening."

JR was reeling. "What, what can you do to help him then?" he stuttered. "Surgery- to remove the dead parts of the bowel. Then a resection. The sooner we do it the better" the doctor advised. "My wife is still in a coma. Her doctors are trying to bring her round. How am I meant to respond to this in the circumstances?" he asked. It didn't happen often but JR was utterly bewildered. "You can consent to the operation. Mr Ewing, I really would advise you to move quickly with this." "But he's so tiny! What are the risks?" he asked. The Paediatrician handed him an information pamphlet. "I know that your son is very small. However, the surgeon is highly skilled and it is my firm opinion that the risks of not undergoing surgery outweigh by a long chalk the risks of having it."

"Alright then" JR replied. If Sue-Ellen did come round he didn't have the first idea of how to tell her. "I'll make all the arrangements and then let you know. You are doing the right thing, Mr Ewing. To wait for your wife to recover would, in all likelihood, endanger your child" he was advised as he took his leave to walk back to ICU.

Later, as he dried his wife's tears and tried to reassure her that all would be well with their baby, JR tried not to dwell on the burden that only he, at that point, bore. "I want to see John Ross" Sue-Ellen told him through her tears. "Not yet, honey. The doctors say you aren't strong enough. Soon, I promise" he told her. How was he going to tell his wife that their baby needed surgery? He wondered as he lifted the beaker of water to her lips. What if their much-wanted son didn't survive? The prospect was too horrible to contemplate. JR was sure that Sue-Ellen, given all that she had been through, would not be able to bear it.

Back at Southfork Miss Ellie awaited the return of her youngest son anxiously. She knew that now was the optimum time to speak to him about his feelings towards Sue-Ellen, Pam having made it known that she was going to take her daddy out for dinner that evening. She intercepted her son deftly upon his arrival home. There was no way that she wanted Jock to know anything of her suspicions. He would go mad, she contemplated as she ushered Bobby into the den.

"Sit down, Bobby" she commanded him authoritatively. He did as he was told. He could discern from her expression that whatever she needed to speak to him about was serious. "I want to know what you are playing at" she began. Bobby's heart began to sink. His mother had worked him out, he concluded. "Where Sue-Ellen is concerned, I mean. I know that girl has never given you the slightest encouragement. All her affections lie with JR. However, Bobby, I perceive that you view your brother's wife, yes your brother's wife," she emphasised "in a completely inappropriate light."

"That's nonsense, mama" Bobby countered. "I love Sue-Ellen but only in the way that a brother-in-law should. Yes, I have been very worried about her too. She is the mother of my niece and now my little nephew. My concern for her has been nothing but genuine" he lied. Miss Ellie tutted. "I don't believe you, son. In fact, I have been worried about your feelings for Sue-Ellen before. Lucy wasn't the only one to have had her suspicions back in the day. I have seen the way you look at her, the way that you respond to her and it's not right. Then there is the reality that you are also married. Pamela is a lovely young woman to whom you have made a supposedly life-long commitment. How long will it be before she realises that you have feelings for Sue-Ellen? It's only a matter of time."

"Mama, I honestly don't know where all this has come from" he responded, a suggestion of anger in his tone. "No, neither do I, Bobby, but it ends here. You are a liar. As your mother I am the most adept at evaluating your demeanour and body language when you are being untruthful and now you are behaving exactly as I anticipated that you would" she replied forcefully. She had caught her son off guard and unprepared for confrontation. There had been no way of him concealing his duplicitousness from her. Bobby realised that he had been cornered. "I repeat, Bobby. This ends now" she demanded.

Bobby went to protest but his mother's whole demeanour inhibited him. Before he could speak Miss Ellie began again. She was determined to ram her point home. "I realise that you and JR have always had a strained relationship but he is your brother. Coveting your brother's wife is about as low as one can get, Bobby, and all the more so when I know that Sue-Ellen has never behaved in anything other than an appropriate manner towards you. What are you thinking? I cannot begin to understand. Did you honestly imagine that you could seduce her right under JR's nose?"

Bobby recalled the one time when Sue-Ellen, in the heat of the moment, permitted him to kiss her. Other than that he had to admit that she had always behaved entirely properly where he was concerned. He decided to call Miss Ellie's bluff, just as he had done that time with Lucy. "Mama, you are wrong and I expect in the fullness of time an apology for your irrational outburst. Of course, we have all been under an immense amount of stress in the last few days and I am prepared to make allowance for the fact that you had to deal with the immediate aftermath of Sue-Ellen's collapse. That said, though, what you are accusing me of is downright deluded. You are no better than Lucy. I will carry on visiting Sue-Ellen and showing her that I care. Nothing I have done implies anything other than fraternal concern for her."

"Oh no you won't, Bobby. If I have to inform your daddy of what I believe and let him deal with you then I will" she countered. "Deal with him for what, Miss Ellie?" Jock asked, entering the room suddenly.

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 **Thank you for the reviews. As ever I appreciate them. If you have any suggestions about where this story should go then please say : )**


	143. Chapter 144

Bobby looked at Miss Ellie beseechingly. "Well then? I asked you both a question and I think that I'm entitled to an answer" Jock demanded. "I have just admonished Bobby for condemning Pam's decision to take her father out this evening" Miss Ellie lied. "After all Digger is her daddy and he no longer has Cliff to rely on. I was telling Bobby to cut Pam some slack on the matter. There has been enough marital strife in this household lately to last us all a lifetime."

"Well I don't know about that, Ellie. Bobby is entitled to expect his wife to be by his side. Seems to me that between going to work, seeing her loser father and brother as well as mooning over JR's and Sue-Ellen's children, Pamela has lost sight of the responsibilities that she has as a wife" Jock harrumphed.

Bobby breathed an inaudible sigh of relief and glanced at his mother gratefully. Miss Ellie glared back at her son. She hated lying to Jock especially when it concerned important family business. However, she realised she had no choice. To have told him the truth would have brought about terrible consequences for them all. Jock may favour Bobby but there was no prospect of him being anything other than damning of his son in the circumstances. She just had to hope that Bobby would heed her warning and put a proper distance between himself and Sue-Ellen now.

Teresa's announcement that dinner was being served broke the tense impasse between the threesome. There would be no JR for dinner this evening. He had made it clear that he would remain with his wife until she was settled for the night. The three of them would just have to tolerate Patricia.

At the hospital JR waited for Sue-Ellen to drift off to sleep before leaving her cubicle. He needed advice. Fortuitously, as he turned the corner towards the neonatal unit, he encountered Dr Scott. She was leaving for the evening, content in the knowledge that her patient, the young Mrs Ewing, was going to be alright. "Dr Scott, I don't want to hold you up as you are obviously going. However, there is something that is worrying me and I was wondering if I could discuss it with you briefly?" he asked. JR recognised the experience and wisdom of the woman.

"Is it Sue-Ellen?" the doctor enquired. "In a way, yes." "Is she alright?" "Yes but our baby isn't I'm afraid and I don't know how to tell her" he replied. He began to explain. His dilemma was all too evident. After listening carefully for several minutes the doctor began to respond. "You have to tell her" she told him in her usual matter of fact and pragmatic tone. "This isn't something you can shield her from. She's the mother. Do it gently and sensitively but don't wrap anything up. She has to know that the surgery carries risk for John Ross. I know that she has been through a lot but honesty is going to be the wisest approach."

JR knew that she was correct. He didn't dare let Sue-Ellen think that this wasn't a big deal for their baby in case the worst came to the worst. She would never forgive him. He nodded in assent. "Let her sleep tonight and then tell her in the morning. It sounds as if there's a good chance that the operation will be scheduled for tomorrow given the urgency. Oh and Mr. Ewing? She needs to see her baby before he is taken down to theatre. I'll make sure that the arrangements are in place first thing in the morning." JR thanked her. He would return at 9am sharp to give Sue-Ellen the bad news. Thereafter, he determined to support her as much as he could as she saw her baby for the first time. He had become inured, at least to an extent, to the vulnerability of his little boy but he recognised that his wife was likely to be shocked by his size together with the extent of the medical intervention that had been put in place to enable him to survive.

As he drove home he felt a mixture of emotions. On the one hand he was elated that he had Sue-Ellen back. For a while her prognosis had appeared so bleak that it was almost too much for him to bear. On the other hand, though, he was overwhelmed with sadness and worry concerning the plight of his son. He reflected on some of the things that he had done in the past and began to wonder whether this was divine retribution for his misdeeds. If so, he would never forgive himself. Right at that moment he didn't give a damn about Ewing Oil. He and Sue-Ellen had more than enough money to last them and their children a lifetime, he thought as he turned into the driveway.

When he entered the house he found the family assembled in the living room. Pam had just got back and was asking for an update on the health of her sister-in-law and nephew. JR poured himself a large drink and addressed the assembled company. "Sue-Ellen is settled and comfortable. When I left she was fast asleep. However, there has been a downturn in John Ross's condition and he requires urgent surgery if he is going to have a chance of survival" he announced. Jock slammed his hand down on the mantelpiece in frustration. "One thing after another, JR. When is it going to end?" he asked rhetorically. JR shook his head. Miss Ellie began to cry. "I don't understand!" Patricia protested. "One minute we're told that John Ross is doing well and now this! Don't the doctors know what they are doing anymore?" JR stared at her but decided not to respond. Her ignorance was just pitiful.

"One of the finest paediatric surgeons will operate on our boy, probably tomorrow" he continued. "Before that I have to inform Sue-Ellen and she will need to spend time with him." He took a large slug of his drink, his anxiety about what lay ahead only too evident. "I'll come with you" Bobby ventured impetuously. Miss Ellie shot him a warning glance. "I'll remain in the background, though. I want to support you both" he explained disingenuously. "Good idea, Bobby" Jock commented, much to the chagrin of his wife. Had nothing she had said earlier made any impact upon her youngest son? she wondered as she watched JR trudge upstairs. He wanted to see Ella before he retired.

Pam was the next to go up. As Bobby left his seat and walked into the hallway Miss Ellie followed him. Once they were out of earshot of the others she took hold of his arm firmly. "Mind what I told you, son" she advised him sternly.

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	144. Chapter 145

Bobby observed as JR calmly explained to Sue-Ellen what was wrong with their baby. As anticipated the young woman became severely distressed. Bobby wanted to be the one to comfort her but was helpless to intervene as he watched his brother soothe and reassure her instead. He knew his mother had been right about the unhealthy and inappropriate nature of the feelings he harboured for his sister-in-law but he was incapable of stopping himself. He just wanted to be with her.

JR exited the room to discuss the arrangements for Sue-Ellen to see her baby. Bobby spied his opportunity. On the pretext of offering her his support in the absence of her husband he sat down next to her on the bed, took her hand and delivered the briefest and what would have seemed the most innocent of kisses to her lips but for the motive behind it. "Oh Bobby what are we going to do if John Ross doesn't make it?" she cried. "He will, Sue-Ellen. If he's anything like his mama, he will" Bobby told her with absolute conviction.

JR reappeared with a wheelchair and a visitor. It was Maggie. Before Sue-Ellen had embarked on her therapy JR would have regarded the presence of a psychologist at what was such a sensitive and private time for the family with the utmost scepticism. However, having seen what the woman had done for Sue-Ellen, added to which was the help that she had given his mama when his wife collapsed, he had taken the view that her presence might prove beneficial. As they walked towards Sue-Ellen's room JR hastily filled Maggie in on what they now faced.

"Well, Sue-Ellen, it is a pleasure to see you looking much better than when we last met" Maggie commented cheerily as she entered the room. "Has JR told you what's happened to our little boy?" Sue-Ellen asked sadly. Maggie nodded. "Go and spend some time with him. I'll wait here in case you want to talk afterwards" she suggested.

JR and Bobby helped Sue-Ellen into the wheelchair. Maggie observed the care and attention paid to the young woman by her husband and brother-in-law with interest. If she hadn't already been familiar with the three of them she might have wondered which of the men Sue-Ellen was actually married to. All very odd, she pondered as JR took over and set off with Sue-Ellen to the neonatal unit. Bobby made to follow. "Mr Ewing?" Bobby turned to face her once more. "Can I suggest that you leave JR and Sue-Ellen to see the baby on their own? It's just that this is such an emotional and worrying time for them both. You can offer your support once the little boy has been taken down to theatre." Bobby shrugged his shoulders and took a seat instead. Was there just a hint of irritation in his reaction? Maggie wondered as she took the other chair and began to look at the newspaper.

As they neared the unit Sue-Ellen was filled with trepidation. She wanted to see her son but not like this and certainly not in these circumstances, she thought. She also missed her daughter immensely. Being separated from both her children was torture and she longed for the restoration of normality to all of their lives.

JR showed her the incubator before wheeling her right up to it. "There he is, honey. Isn't he beautiful?" he encouraged her. She gazed at his little face and felt a mixture of love, sadness and guilt. She hadn't protected him properly when she was carrying him, she thought. "You can touch him, Sue-Ellen" her husband suggested. "He needs to feel his mama's touch, especially today." She gingerly placed her hand inside the incubator and began to stroke his tiny arm. John Ross stirred ever so slightly at his mother's touch. JR smiled. "It's as if he knows you're here" he said as Sue-Ellen reached in slightly further and touched her baby's cheek. "He's perfect, JR, but so tiny and look at all the wires attached to him" she replied worriedly. Instinct told her to speak to her son. "Mama loves you very much, John Ross" she told him in a gentle, soothing tone. "When you are all better your daddy and I are going to take you home. You have a big sister called Ella and something tells me that she is going to be very protective of you as you both grow older."

Sue-Ellen withdrew her hand momentarily and kissed her forefinger. She then placed it on her son's cheek. "I love you, John Ross. Please don't leave us" she told him. She looked at JR. He took his turn to demonstrate affection to his little baby, trying as hard as he could to hold back his tears. He didn't want his wife to be more upset than she already was. A single tear trickled silently down Sue-Ellen's cheek. "Come on now, honey, he's going to be just fine" he advised her, albeit unconvincingly.

They were joined by the surgeon. "Mr and Mrs Ewing I'm sorry but it's time to take John Ross down now" he told them. They noted that a team of medics were gathering around in anticipation of making a start on what had to be done. JR nodded. Sue-Ellen dissolved into tears as they withdrew from the unit to permit the clinicians to take over. JR knelt down next to her permitting her to cling to him as they watched their son being taken away. "There, there, darlin." Now it was his turn to feel guilty. Intellectually he had been able to accept that what had happened to his wife and child amounted to random misfortune. However, emotionally, he felt that he was to blame. If his son died he would never forgive himself, he thought.

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	145. Chapter 146

They watched their son disappear from their view. He was in the hands of others now and there was nothing more they could do. JR took her back to her room and helped her to settle back into bed. She was exhausted and still very sore from the Caesarean. Bobby had gone, leaving Maggie the sole occupant when they returned. "He went to find some decent coffee" she informed them. "Do you wish me to leave?" she asked, acutely conscious of their emotional state. Sue-Ellen shook her head. Maggie's calm personality always made her feel better, she thought. JR tactfully decided to withdraw, ostensibly in search of his brother, but, in reality, because his instinct told him that his wife wanted to speak to her therapist alone. Right at that moment he was determined to go along with anything that enabled Sue-Ellen to regain her emotional equilibrium.

The two women sat in silence for a short while. Maggie decided to allow her patient to dictate the tone and content of their conversation. Sue-Ellen glanced at the clock and wondered how long they would have to wait for news of their little boy. They had been told that the operation would take several hours. That is if all went according to plan. She supposed that the longer they heard nothing the better.

"Maggie? I'm still not clear about what happened to me on the day you visited" she began. It was a decent place to start if Sue-Ellen was ever going to make sense of what had happened to her, the therapist mused. Maggie began to explain the alacrity with which Sue-Ellen's condition had declined and the lack of foreseeability of the same. She stressed the urgency with which action had been taken and the family's obvious and considerable concern for her, particularly on the part of JR. It was important that Sue-Ellen knew how much she was loved.

The conversation moved on to Sue-Ellen's hopes for the future. She and JR had their wish for a son granted but what if he didn't make it? Sue-Ellen asked. Maggie advised her against such thoughts and encouraged her to remain positive. If John Ross pulled through then there was every reason to believe that the rollercoaster ride that her patient had been on ever since she had been married would come to a final halt. Normal family life was what was going to be achieved at long last, Maggie told her. "Sue-Ellen, you and JR have been in a better place recently than you have been for ages. He loves you very much, that's obvious, and you love him. Together you can build just the sort of life that you always wanted. A life bringing up your children and consolidating your relationship" she advised.

Sue-Ellen smiled briefly at the thought but then frowned. She was tempting fate imagining a settled existence with their two children and that was the last thing she wanted. Maggie remained intrigued by what was going on between Sue-Ellen and Bobby. "Your brother-in-law seems very concerned about you" she ventured. Sue-Ellen nodded. "We've always had a very good relationship" she replied. Did Maggie sense a hint of defensiveness on the part of the young woman? She wondered.

"Is there more of a history between the two of you than just being married to his brother?" she asked. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "No! Why do you ask?" She was lying yet hoped that she could get away with it. The encounter with Bobby had been the one thing that she had never revealed in her sessions. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to recount what had happened that day let alone open up a discussion about why she had allowed it to occur. The incident would remain buried forever, she determined.

"Be careful there, Sue-Ellen. Whatever you may feel about Bobby I sense that he may feel differently about you" Maggie informed her. "You are over-analysing the situation I'm afraid. Bobby loves me as a sister, that's all" she countered. Maggie knew she had hit a raw nerve but any further discussion would have to wait as JR and Bobby came back into the room. She stood up. Taking Sue-Ellen's hand and squeezing it gently she bade her farewell and promised to return soon. "I hope that I will hear from you shortly with the best of news concerning your son" she said as she took her leave. "I'll be in touch" JR responded.

The wait that followed was agonising for all three of them. Conversation proved impossible due to the level of anxiety that each of them was undergoing. Jock, Miss Ellie and Patricia arrived. Sue-Ellen was pleased to see her mother, to know that she cared about her, just as much as her parents-in-law did. Patricia was unsure of what to say. It was her daughter who initiated a temporarily diverting conversation about how Kristin was getting on at school and what she and Lucy were up to that day back at Southfork. For so long her mother's habit of wittering on about unimportant and inconsequential matters had been the source of much irritation to Sue-Ellen. However, on that day, it had a calming effect because it represented normality which was a good thing in the circumstances.

"It's been three and a half hours" JR commented, breaking Patricia's flow. Miss Ellie sighed. "These things take time, JR. Try not to worry" she told him although, deep down, she was also beside herself with anxiety for the state of her little grandson. Fifteen minutes later the family began to sense activity just outside Sue-Ellen's room. The surgeon knocked and entered. "Mr and Mrs Ewing, I'm very pleased to be able to tell you that John Ross's operation was a complete success" he told them. "It took a little longer than usual because of his size. However, I am confident that your son will now begin to put on weight and thrive."

JR jumped up to shake the man's hand. Miss Ellie hugged Sue-Ellen followed by Patricia. Jock breathed a huge sigh of relief. Bobby suddenly felt conflicted. JR now had everything that he had ever wanted.

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 **Thank you for the reviews and the ideas. The story is going to move forward a little in time from now on : )**


	146. Chapter 147

John Ross Ewing III was now three and a half months old. He had been allowed to come home 6 weeks ago having, as the doctors predicted, grown and thrived following his surgery. Life for JR and Sue-Ellen had mellowed into what Maggie described as "domestic normality". Sue-Ellen continued her devotion as a mother, this time to her two babies. She felt a mixture of exhaustion and elation from her maternal duties, the bottom line being that she was finally happy, except in one respect. Through her meetings with Maggie, now much reduced in frequency owing to the progress that she was making, she had learnt that she had to put rather more clear water between herself and her brother-in-law. Her therapist was the only other person to know of Sue-Ellen's and Bobby's kiss on the day when everything appeared to be going wrong for the young man. Sue-Ellen had finally blurted the truth out during a session which focused on her complex family relationships. It was hard to shun him in the way that she had been advised because he always appeared so wounded when she did things like walking out of the room to avoid being alone with him or declining to go horse-riding on the pretext that she had the babies to see to. However, she realised that it had to be done for all their sakes.

Jock and JR had become increasingly preoccupied with the opening of the refinery now that the family drama was over. Bobby was less interested although he managed not to show it. For JR, fatherhood for a second time combined with the demands of the business came as something of a shock. Although he accepted it and continued to adore his wife he was finding it hard to spend much, if any, quality time with Sue-Ellen. Secretly, he found their new situation mildly depressing but convinced himself that things would settle down eventually and that the fire and passion that had burned between them would return.

The chasm in Bobby's and Pam's marriage that had been precipitated by the birth of his nephew had opened ever wider over the intervening months. The demands of their respective jobs, together with Pam's outright refusal to begin trying for another baby whilst swooning over Ella and John Ross, were issues that plagued their happiness and stability as a couple. Arguments, rows even, were frequent. Then, of course, for Bobby there was Sue-Ellen. Somehow her cool yet polite rejection of him only made him want her more. He would watch her at the dinner table, attempting as best he could to avoid attracting the attention of the others. She was back to her most beautiful. A little tired-looking perhaps but glowing in every other way, he thought as he observed her eat. Finally, the release of Cliff from prison and Pam's dedication to helping him to rehabilitate into society had become a running sore between them.

Miss Ellie remained troubled over her youngest son. Although he had far less contact with Sue-Ellen these days it appeared to his mother that this had been at her daughter-in-law's instigation and not his. She was trapped though. Nothing she could say on the matter would lead to anywhere other than heartache and conflict for the family. She just had to hope that eventually the penny would drop for Bobby that Sue-Ellen would never be interested in him and that his future lay with Pam. She wished that Pam could appreciate the fine line that she and Bobby were treading in relation to their marriage. If only she could have a baby, she worried, then things would be bound to improve between them, wouldn't they?

JR had endured a gruelling Friday at work. His last appointment had been at The Fairview Hotel. He had been meeting Mr Du-Bois who was in Texas on a short trip. JR liked to keep the French industrialist on side. With Ewing Oil moving on and progressing as an independent company it was just as vital to maintain valuable business connections as well make new ones. He should have exited the building and driven straight home for dinner. However, the impulse to sit in the hotel bar with a quick, stiff drink took over him. As he entered he saw her. She was sitting alone at the bar nursing a glass of champagne. He observed her for a minute before making what was bound to be a fatal approach. She was gorgeous, he thought. She also had class. Her clothes and accessories demonstrated impeccable taste. She was clearly confident as well. Not many unaccompanied females would enter a bar full of businessmen and drink alone, he considered as he made his move. All eyes were on him and then her as he took the next seat. "Bourbon and branch please" he asked the bartender. He looked at the woman. She met his gaze directly and smiled. "And for the lady?" JR ventured. She shook her head. "No thank you. One's my limit" she replied coolly. "Please let me introduce myself." JR was not for giving up. "No need. I've seen your picture in the newspapers dozens of times, Mr Ewing" she replied. "What brings such an attractive woman to the Fairview apparently alone?" he asked. She smiled again. Was that the best he could do for a chat-up line? "Work" she responded. "And you, Mr Ewing?" "The same. I've just finished a meeting."

The woman stared pointedly at JR's ring. He countered it by nodding his head in acknowledgment of the fact that both of them had wedding rings on. "My wife is a wonderful woman" he began "and I love her. It's just that she's awfully busy with our two young children at present and sometimes I just long for…." "A little excitement?" she interjected. JR nodded. "I feel the same" she announced. "I don't often get to go on these trips but, when I do, if the opportunity arises and there is instant attraction I like to have a bit of fun. I really should have travelled home this evening but I had a feeling that something like this might happen. What my husband doesn't know won't hurt him."

She placed her hand discreetly under the bar on his inner thigh. Her sexual confidence was intoxicating. "I have a lovely suite on the tenth floor. Number 1006. If you want to come up give it fifteen minutes" she told him as she eased herself from the bar stool. "I don't even know your name" he replied. "Well one way or the other it might be best to keep it that way" she answered, smiling seductively. "It's not like we would be embarking on some grand love affair is it?" Her directness was arresting. "See you in fifteen?" she asked as she walked away.

God, JR thought. She is the sexiest woman he had encountered in a long time and he hadn't been getting much action at home of late. Yes, he decided. I'm going up to that suite and I'm going to fuck her. That's all it would be. Sex.

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	147. Chapter 148

JR's heart was pounding as the elevator ascended. It had been years since he had experienced such an encounter. In those days one-night stands in hotel rooms had been a frequent occurrence. He thought he hadn't missed it after his marriage to Sue-Ellen but the truth was that he had. The excitement and intrigue of picking up a woman in a restaurant or bar, having sex with her and then parting company forever was addictive to him and, just as any addict, relapse was inevitable.

He walked nervously down the corridor having exited the elevator. He did not want to be seen. As far as any of the other customers in the bar had been concerned all he had done was to chat to a lone woman at the bar. After that they had each gone their separate ways. Nothing wrong or sinister in that, he thought. However, if he was spotted making his way to her suite that was an entirely different matter.

He knocked gently on the door. She opened it. Instead of the black dress that she had been wearing she now had a short, silk robe on. As best JR could tell she appeared to have nothing on underneath. She pulled him into the room by his tie, slammed the door shut and began to kiss him. Her kisses were passionate and hungry. He was in no doubt that she wanted him, all of him. As he returned the kisses, darting his tongue in and out of her mouth, his hands wandered to her body. She was slim yet curvaceous with a decent pair of breasts and a slender yet defined waist. JR growled in appreciation. He lifted the hem of the robe and groped her smooth, pert buttocks before moving to her front. The woman shivered as he did so. She moved her hand from the back of his neck to his crotch and stroked him. He was already good and hard, she thought.

She broke from their kisses and dropped to her knees. Freeing him from his pants she took him into her mouth and began sucking and licking him rhythmically. "Yes! That's so good" he moaned as she increased the rate at which she pleasured him. JR placed his hand on the back of her head and gently grasped her long, glossy locks. He was going to dictate the speed at which she went. He thrust himself down her throat causing her to gag ever so slightly. She looked up at him with her big, beautiful eyes as he continued. His dominance over her was obviously a massive turn on for both of them. He withdrew quickly. He was going to come otherwise and he didn't want to do that, at least not yet.

He lifted her to her feet and untied her robe. Naked she was stunning. "Lie on the bed" he commanded. She did as she was told, never taking her eyes off him as he removed his clothes and put on a condom. He lay down next to her and began stroking her between the legs. She sighed and then squealed as his finger entered her, his thumb continuing to stroke her special spot. Arching her back, her breath laboured with arousal, she permitted him to take her over the edge. He felt her whole body shudder as she moaned in glorious release.

She opened her legs for him. His member was pulsing as he entered her. He pushed both of her arms above her head and held them pinned to the bed as he began thrusting. She tightened around him causing him to grunt in appreciation. "You are so good, darlin" he told her as he withdrew only to push himself immediately back inside her. He was going too fast though, he estimated. He didn't want their encounter to conclude too quickly.

With one strong, swift movement he reversed their position so that she was now on top. "Oh yeah!" she moaned appreciatively. "Ride me" he growled. She did as she was told. JR moaned with pleasure. She is so sexy, he mused as she fucked him. He placed his hands around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Her breasts and hair brushed against his skin as she carried on causing small shocks akin to electricity to course through his body. He lifted his head and began to suck firmly on one of her nipples. "Oh my God! JR!" she groaned as she began to climax. He giggled wickedly at the power he wielded over her. It was as satisfying for him to make a woman come as to come himself.

He lifted her off him once she was done. She was wringing wet and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with her next. Lifting her onto her hands and knees he began to take her roughly from behind. "Oh yes, good girl" he grunted as he intensified his thrusts even further. "No, JR. I'm a bad girl. That's what you want me to be isn't it?" she told him breathlessly. With that he took a short, sharp slap to her buttock causing her to gasp. "Do it again" she moaned. "Spank me again." JR complied and, as he did so, he was sent over the edge. His orgasm was about as intense as he had ever experienced. When he was done he withdrew from her and lay on his back.

She leaned over him and delivered a tender kiss to his lips. "Did you enjoy that, JR?" she asked. "Enjoy it? Sue-Ellen, that was fantastic. Thank you so much. Can we do this sort of thing again?" he responded. "We have the rest of the night ahead of us. Who knows what will happen? Your mother was right. We needed a night away on our own. Let's make the most of it."

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	148. Chapter 149

Their night at the hotel re-affirmed for JR and Sue-Ellen their love and mutual attraction for each other. It also served to cause JR to consider everything that his wife did for him and their family. As soon as they could he would take her and their children away on a fabulous vacation he decided. In the interim he determined to offer Sue-Ellen a lot more in the way of practical help with their son and daughter. Business would just have to take a back seat for a while. He never wanted her to feel as if he took her for granted.

Bobby observed them all together on a bright Saturday afternoon at Southfork. The weather was warm enough to sit out but definitely not to swim. Ella was toddling around the veranda holding Lucy's hand, her parents offering her periodic praise and encouragement. She was a sunny child, Bobby mused, and exceptionally pretty, just like her mother. JR was holding John Ross whom he had just fed. The baby was about to drift off to sleep. Bobby stared at Sue-Ellen. She was wearing jeans and a shirt, the two top buttons undone to reveal a hint of cleavage. He wondered what it would be like to take her to bed? Wonderful, he imagined, before feeling his mother's eyes boring into him which made him quickly avert his gaze.

He looked over at Pam instead. In contrast to his sister-in-law's contentment and serenity Pam appeared frustrated. She had been working on something that Liz at The Store had given her. That was all she seemed to do these days, Bobby pondered, as he watched her close the folder containing details of the new season's lines.

Sue-Ellen stood up. "Come on Ella, let's go and have a look at the horses" she announced. The little girl held her hands up to her mama to be picked up. "No, sweetie, you need to walk" she told her, taking her hand. "Do you want to come, Lucy?" Sue-Ellen asked. "No thanks, Sue-Ellen. I'm going upstairs to call Muriel" Lucy responded. "Don't be too long mind" Jock warned her. "The phone bill for this house has risen massively recently." Miss Ellie smiled. Jock was always careful where money was concerned even to the extent that he kept an eye on all the household bills.

Predictably Ella became tired of walking as they approached the stables. Her mother picked her up instead and carried her the rest of the way. "Let's go and see Rosie" Sue-Ellen suggested, kissing her baby girl's cheek. Rosie was a cute Shetland pony that Jock had acquired, somewhat prematurely, for his granddaughter. Ella kicked her legs in excitement at the sight of the animal. Bending over the stable door Sue-Ellen allowed Ella to touch the pony. "Be gentle now" she advised as Ella grabbed the pony's soft mane with her chubby, little hand.

Sue-Ellen jumped in surprise as Bobby joined them. "Ella's going to be one spoilt little girl" he commented. "Well not if I have any say in the matter she won't" Sue-Ellen replied. "Of course she was always going to be given a pony. She lives on a ranch. However, she isn't going to get everything she wants, no matter what her daddy and granddaddy think."

Bobby opened the stable door and led the pony out into the yard. "Let's try Ella on her back" he suggested. Sue-Ellen smiled. She placed Ella on Rosie's back, holding the baby tightly all the while. Ella chuckled in delight. "She loves it, but then she was always going to. Horsemanship is in her blood" he laughed. Sue-Ellen had felt uncomfortable when Bobby had first approached but the atmosphere between them was much more relaxed now. His interaction with her and Ella had been nothing other than innocent she told herself as she removed her baby from the pony's back and watched him put the animal back into the stable.

She set Ella down on her feet and took her hand. "Let's go. You need a nap, sweetie" she suggested. Bobby took the little girl's other hand as they set off back to the house. Now and again they would swing Ella gently into the air by her arms causing the child to squeal in delight. They giggled at the child's reaction to the new game that they had created for her. For a split second they made eye contact as they laughed and Sue-Ellen immediately felt confused and conflicted. She liked Bobby, loved him even, and she missed spending time with him. However, there was no way that she could risk letting him cross the line once more where their relationship was concerned. She was aware of the problems that he and Pam were having. Some of their rows had been nothing short of explosive. No matter how hard she had tried not to she couldn't help but hear much of what passed between her brother-in-law and his wife on such occasions.

Bobby and Pam both fought fire with fire. Cruel and harsh recriminations were exchanged whenever they disagreed. They just couldn't seem to prevent the steep and dangerous rises that their arguments took. Sue-Ellen thought the world of Pam and it saddened her to hear her and Bobby trading insults and accusations. Whatever JR thought of the couple she didn't want them to separate. She wanted them to be happy together and, if possible, start a family. However, if they carried on as they had been doing a split became ever more inevitable. Did she dare try to raise the issue, to warn Bobby now?

She slowed the pace at which they had been walking and picked up Ella who was getting tired. "Bobby, it's really none of my business but it's obvious that you and Pam are having difficulties. I was wondering if relationship therapy might be beneficial?" she asked. Bobby shook his head and halted. "I don't think so, Sue-Ellen. We both want totally different things. No amount of therapy is going to bridge the gap that exists between us." He wanted to tell Sue-Ellen the truth. The one thing that he wanted was her. His courtship with and then marriage to Pam had been an unwise and hasty attempt to place his feelings for his sister-in-law behind him. It seemed to have worked for a time and he had felt happier than before. However, old emotions were more difficult to eradicate than he had imagined and, when Sue-Ellen was in extremis, they had re-surfaced more powerfully and intensely than before.

Silence descended between them as they set off walking again. Ella rubbed her eyes. She was ready for a nap. Sue-Ellen cuddled the little girl into her. As they reached the house Ella was already fast asleep. JR kissed Sue-Ellen and took the baby from her. "I'll take her up, honey" he advised. The innocent scene of domesticity annoyed Bobby. Pam watched her husband sadly. She knew what he wanted- a family life like JR and Sue-Ellen had- she guessed. However, she just didn't dare put herself through the misery of trying and failing to have a baby again, no matter how much her husband wanted her to. Without acknowledging her Bobby went into the house. Pam sighed and re-opened her folder but she couldn't concentrate.

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	149. Chapter 150

Miss Ellie was in the kitchen helping Teresa to prepare Sunday dinner for the family. She reflected on how close it now was to Thanksgiving. Shortly after that it would be hers and Jock's 35th wedding anniversary. She wanted to do something nice this year for her husband, something that revolved around family and close friends, she pondered as she began to whip a bowl of cream. As her thoughts turned to a lavish surprise anniversary party the phone rang. "It's Mr Anderson asking for Mr Ewing" Teresa announced.

"You carry on whipping this and I'll go and find him" Miss Ellie suggested. Teresa picked up the whisk and continued the task as instructed. Miss Ellie decided to try the den first. She could hear the low hum of the television from the room. As she opened the door JR and Sue-Ellen sprang quickly away from one another. Miss Ellie smiled at her daughter-in-law's obvious embarrassment at being almost caught in a passionate clinch with JR on the sofa. "Woops! Excuse me, I'm sorry" she told the couple. "I'm looking for your father." As she closed the door behind her Miss Ellie felt relieved. No matter how Bobby felt about Sue-Ellen it was clear that his feelings were not reciprocated. Sue-Ellen's and JR's marriage appeared stronger than ever since the birth of their baby son, she thought as she began to climb the stairs.

She found Jock sitting up on their bed inspecting some files that he had brought home from Ewing Oil. The man is unstoppable when it came to business, she mused as she told him that Punk needed to speak to him. Jock picked up the telephone handset placed on his bedside table. He regarded Punk as a good friend and would help him with whatever it was he needed.

Miss Ellie nodded at her husband as he exchanged preliminary, polite pleasantries with Punk. She then turned and closed the bedroom door quietly behind her. She intended to return to the kitchen but was suddenly distracted by sounds emanating from Bobby's bedroom. She moved silently closer to their door. Not another row, she worried. She realised that eavesdropping was a breach of their privacy but her growing anxiety about the state of their marriage tipped the balance in favour of her remaining where she was.

Inside Bobby and Pam were using their best endeavours to keep their voices as low as possible. However, their tone and the occasional rise in volume told Miss Ellie all she needed to know. They were in dispute yet again. She tried to concentrate on what they were saying to each other.

"Bobby, I fail to understand why you seem angry with me for letting you know that I am prepared to try for another baby" Pam told him. "I thought this was what you wanted?" "Not like this, Pam. We hardly ever see each other. You work and then spend inordinate amounts of time with your daddy and your brother. Last week you were called out on three separate evenings to rescue Digger from whatever bar he had passed out in. You getting pregnant again when your loyalties lie obviously other than with me would be a huge mistake" he responded. Miss Ellie's stomach churned at her son's words. He was using Pam's commitments as an excuse, she thought. He doesn't want her because he wants Sue-Ellen instead.

"My daddy and Cliff need me right now but that won't always be the case" Pam protested. "Digger's in a bad way at present. What am I supposed to do? Just leave him collapsed and therefore unsafe in some seedy bar or bring him home and put him to bed?" Miss Ellie sympathised with Pam. Digger isn't a bad man, she mused. Weak, addicted and vulnerable, maybe, but not evil. "And your brother?" Bobby countered. "What about him? At some point he's going to have to stand on his own two feet and leave the last few months behind him. He can't keep making these demands upon your time."

"He is rebuilding his life. He has just got a job working for Mr Kay. My daddy still commands respect in some quarters, you know. He's the one who sorted out this position for Cliff." Bobby shook his head. John Kay, of all people. He hadn't employed Cliff as a favour to Digger. The Kays still hated him for what had happened with their daughter, Grace. John Kay taking Cliff on amounted to throwing the gauntlet down to the Ewings, he decided. Not that he could tell Pam that this was likely to be the case. Things were already bad enough between them without him raking over the coals of a past relationship with another young woman.

"They are my family, Bobby! All I have. I'm tired of being the lone voice in support of them in this household. There was a time when you defended the criticism they came in for from your father and brother but these days you say nothing when they get started. Just the other night JR was denigrating Cliff at the dinner table. What did you do? Nothing. Do you know how that makes me feel? Like the outsider that I am!" Pam shouted.

"There's no point in us going around in circles like this, Pam. Unless and until you begin to behave as a wife should and make me your first priority I'm not prepared to discuss us trying for a baby." Miss Ellie moved quickly away from the door, sensing that one of them was about to leave the room. She didn't want to be accused of snooping.

She sighed as she descended the stairs. Something had to be done, she determined. Suddenly she had an idea about how she might go about uniting the young couple. Although the idea had been formulated with the best of intentions Miss Ellie could not know the disaster that would be created by it.

Tbc

 **Sorry I haven't been posting much this week. Work has gone boom! Thank you for all the reviews and ideas : )**


	150. Chapter 151

"Who is it?" Cliff asked in response to the knock on the door of his condominium. Pam had been paying his rent from her wage from The Store but now that he was back in employment he was able to meet his own bills once more. "It's Ellie Ewing." Cliff opened the door slowly and gestured to his father to go into the bedroom. He didn't want Miss Ellie to see Digger in the state that he was in.

"What brings you here, Mrs Ewing?" Cliff asked. "I've come to see your father. It's personal. Can I come in please, Cliff?" Cliff reluctantly beckoned then stepped back to enable her to enter his home unimpeded. He scurried over to the coffee table and began to pick up the remnants of the last few evenings' Chinese take-out meals. He was obviously embarrassed by the state of the place. "Please sit down, Mrs Ewing" he told her, plumping up a couple of scatter cushions and quickly brushing the seat of the sofa with his hand.

Miss Ellie sat down. "My daddy isn't feeling too good today and I'm not sure that he will be up to seeing you" he advised her. "Can I give him a message instead?" "Not really" the woman replied. "In fact you're most welcome to hear what I have to say as well. It applies equally to the both of you." Before Cliff could respond Digger came out of the bedroom. He had hurriedly attempted to tidy himself up for her but still looked somewhat rough.

"Miss Ellie! How are you?" he asked, taking her hand. She was the only one of them who had remained civil towards him over all these years and he had an enormous amount of time for her for that reason. "I'm just fine, Digger. Do I need to ask how you are?" "Off the wagon again as well you know" he laughed. Miss Ellie shook her head and tutted. "How much longer are you going to carry on doing this to yourself, Digger? You're getting on now, as are all of us. There's only so much abuse that a body can take."

Cliff was surprised at the extent to which his father and Miss Ellie remained on familiar and amicable terms given their history. At times, when heavily intoxicated, Digger had hinted that Ewing Oil wasn't the only thing that Jock had stolen from him. Observing the way that his daddy was looking at Miss Ellie now appeared to provide validity to the story that he and Jock had more than one reason to hate each other.

"Well I suppose I should cut to the chase, gentlemen" Miss Ellie announced, having declined the offer of coffee. "I'm here because Pam isn't happy at the moment." Digger looked questioningly at Cliff. Did he know about this? He wondered. He permitted the woman to continue. "One of the reasons, a major reason really, is the Barnes-Ewing feud. I heard her telling Bobby the other day that she feels like an outsider at Southfork. She's also torn between the pair of you and her marriage. She really doesn't deserve it. She's a lovely young woman and I don't want her to continue to feel like this."

Miss Ellie sat back waiting for a response. Cliff spoke first. "I don't want to sound unsympathetic because I love my little sister, I really do, but Pam knew very well what she was getting into marrying a member of your family. Plus, I'm not sure what you expect daddy or I to do?" "I'm hosting a party for mine and Jock's anniversary and I would like you both to be there, to try to build a bridge between our families." Cliff shook his head. "No way, Mrs Ewing. I'm sorry."

"Does Jock know about this?" Digger asked. He already knew the answer. "No he doesn't but then I don't think you expected the impetus for this invitation to come from him" Miss Ellie responded. "Look, Digger, your daughter is married to my son, whether you like it or not, and this stupid feud needs to come to an end for their sake. We could keep this up for the rest of our lives but what good is that going to do for them? What about any children that they have? Will they be expected to take sides or, even worse, tread the kind of line that Pam is currently having to tread?" She placed an envelope on the coffee table. "This is the invitation. It's to both of you. Please at least think about it" she told them as she got up to leave. "It was nice to see you, Digger. Take care of yourself. Cliff, good luck for the future."

When she had gone Cliff carefully opened the envelope and inspected the content. "I have a certain amount of respect for Mrs Ewing and it's obvious that she has a lot of time for Pam but this is ridiculous" he commented. Digger looked troubled. Most of his adult life he had been consumed by his hatred for Jock Ewing. It had ruined him. Deep down he realised that. The feud had also been the cause of his son's downfall. Cliff had lost everything in his pursuit of revenge. Now it was Pam's turn to bear the consequences of what had happened all those years ago. Miss Ellie had a point, he thought. How much longer could they all keep holding onto the past, particularly now that the Barnes family was related to the Ewing family by marriage?

If he was going to attend the party he would have to straighten himself out first, he resolved. "Cliff, get rid of all of the booze in this place. Swill it down the sink, son. Oh and here's my wallet. Don't give me any money even if I beg you." "You're not actually thinking about going there are you?" Cliff asked incredulously. "Cliff, one day I hope that you will be a father, a much better one than I have been to you and Pamela, and when you are I hope that you'll understand what I'm doing. Sometimes a parent just has to make a sacrifice for the sake of their child." Cliff took the man's money and went into the kitchen to dispose of all of the alcohol on the premises. He didn't understand his daddy but if he was going to attend the party he most certainly wouldn't be going on his own.

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	151. Chapter 152

"So we just thought that it would be nice for us to have a weekend away, together as a family. Is that alright mama?" JR asked. "I think that's an excellent idea, JR. I'll call the housekeeper tomorrow and have her make the house all ready for your arrival. I've already had two of the rooms decorated and furnished for Ella and John Ross" his mother replied, passing the green vegetables to her eldest son. "I have to confess to being a little nervous though. It will be our first trip with the two babies" Sue-Ellen commented. "You'll all be fine" Miss Ellie advised her. "The house has got everything you need for an enjoyable and comfortable weekend together."

Miss Ellie looked over to where Bobby was sitting. He was staring sullenly into his food. He always hated it when JR took Sue-Ellen away overnight, partly because he missed her but mainly because he realised what the couple would be getting up to and he was jealous. Miss Ellie glared at him. For an imperceptible moment JR caught his mother's expression. He looked at her quizzically but she blanked him. The last person she wanted to know about the way that Bobby had been behaving was JR. There would be war between the brothers. Bobby would probably beat JR to a pulp but it was JR's unique form of retribution that would be far more devastating, she thought. It made perfect good sense to keep JR and Sue-Ellen apart from Bobby as much as possible, especially at the weekends when there was more time in each other's company, she calculated.

"How are things going at The Store, Pam?" Sue-Ellen asked. Miss Ellie was thankful for the change in subject. Pam began to tell them all about the new range that had just been shipped in from Paris. She and Liz were certain that it would be a major hit with the wealthy ladies of Dallas. "In fact, Sue-Ellen, I'm positive that a lot of the items would look amazing on you. There's one dress in particular that I could keep back that would be just right for…" "Christmas?" Lucy interjected, saving the day. Pam was mistakenly about to mention the party that was being kept as a total surprise from Jock. Pam breathed a sigh of relief. "Exactly" she responded to which the four females giggled. Jock and JR shrugged their shoulders. Women's talk! They had no time for that.

Bobby remained silent and pretended to take an interest in the alternative discussion that his father and brother had embarked upon. He felt embarrassed when he realised what they were talking about. "I mean, daddy, what is John Kay thinking of giving that idiot a job? He's been disbarred so he can't give them legal advice so what is he even going to do there?" JR asked. Jock shook his head. "Kay's sending us a message. He's not done with us yet or at least he thinks he isn't." "Pathetic" JR commented in reply. "Barnes is no match for us and neither is John Kay for that matter."

Bobby was uneasy but more than that he was angry. "Can we please change the subject? Pam's going to overhear you" he hissed. "I don't much care about your wife's sensibilities, Bobby. Her brother's vermin and now he's in league with the Kays" JR countered. "JR's right" Jock told him. "We have to plan for every eventuality. Alright, Cliff may be starting from the bottom once again but if he is as determined and as foolish as his father we need to be prepared. I don't need to remind you son that he tried to block our first refinery. We would have been in huge financial trouble had his blackmail plan succeeded." "He would never have had the plan had JR not set him up for it" Bobby argued. "Nonsense! A man has to take responsibility for his own actions. I just don't get why it all meant so much to him. I mean he's seen at first hand exactly what crossing the Ewings does. He only needs to look at his daddy."

The women's attention had been drawn to what was now becoming a rather heated exchange. JR looked pointedly at Sue-Ellen when his father questioned Cliff's motivation. He hadn't just wanted to ruin the company, he wanted to ruin their marriage as well. Pam stared at Bobby. Here we go again, she thought. Her husband was making no attempt to shield her from the hurtful comments that the other two men were making.

"Stop now!" Miss Ellie commanded in a loud and determined voice. "How many times have I said that I won't have talk of that nature at the dinner table, especially now that Pam's a member of the family." She was beginning to regret the invitation that she had issued a few weeks earlier. Jock and JR were immoveable in their hatred of the two Barnes men. She stood up. Something had to be done before it was too late for Bobby and Pam. She also appreciated that if the couple split up her eldest son's marriage might also be exposed to danger. "It's been over thirty years since Pam's daddy, because that is who he is, entered into discord with you, Jock. I'm tired of it. How many times do I need to make that sentiment known? Fault hasn't been just on one side either. You have behaved badly at times, Jock, and you, JR. Pam has taken the bravest of steps joining this family because she and Bobby love each other." She stared deliberately at her youngest son. "Their marriage changes things whether the two of you think so or not. I am calling for this to end. Now! Digger and Cliff can't touch us. It's survival only where they are concerned. That's all. Come on Pam, Sue-Ellen, let's get a night cap. At this rate I think we may need more than one."

The two young women didn't dare not to follow her. Sue-Ellen looked apologetically at her husband. Only she truly knew why his hatred for Cliff burned so strongly even though she wished that the whole feud could be put behind them all. Lucy joined the women, smirking at JR as she left the table. She loved it when her grandma put the men in their places.

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	152. Chapter 153

"Gosh, Sue-Ellen, packing to come here for a couple of nights was like a military operation" JR commented as he handed his wife her drink. "I know but it will be worth it. We always have a great time here and now that John Ross is more settled at night we can enjoy ourselves." Sue-Ellen turned her attention to the personal chef who was working quietly and efficiently on their dinner. "You're really spoiling me with all of this, thank you" she told him as he settled down next to her on the sofa. "Well the anniversary party is only a week away and I'm sure that mama will be keeping you very busy with the arrangements so I figured that you deserved a treat beforehand."

It was a cold evening at the Ewing Lake House and a roaring log fire had been lit by the housekeeper just prior to their arrival. JR smiled as he watched the flames flicker. "Later on we could have some fun right here where it's all lovely and warm" he whispered seductively. Sue-Ellen returned his smile. She knew only too well what her husband had in mind.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about something, sugar, only I figured that the conversation needed to take place away from Southfork." "Go on, what is it?" "Have you noticed that mama seems, well I don't know, a little irritated with Bobby these days?" he asked. JR was not the most adept at reading subtle changes in body language or demeanour but even he hadn't failed to notice that something wasn't right where his mother and brother were concerned.

Sue-Ellen shifted nervously in her seat. She had discerned a distinct froideur between Miss Ellie and Bobby of late and the provenance of it worried her. Not that anything had been said by either of them but she could detect at times that it probably involved her, at least in part. If Maggie had been able to pick up on the signs that Bobby remained attracted to her then his mother, who knew him better than anyone else, was bound to follow suit eventually. "It's all the strife he's having with Pam. I think your mama feels that Bobby isn't being entirely fair to her" she responded. She wasn't totally lying to her husband about his mother's disappointment in her youngest son's behaviour as a husband but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell JR the whole story. All hell would break loose if she did.

"And you?" he asked. "What do you mean?" "Well you seem to be keeping your distance from my little brother these days. Honey, is there something you're not telling me?" Sue-Ellen's blood ran cold. She should have realised that there would be more to JR's motivation in bringing her here for the weekend than just to give her a good time. "Yes there is something that I can't tell you, JR. That's because Pam sometimes confides in me about her and Bobby and what's going on with them and I can't betray her confidence." "But I'm your husband and a man and his wife should have no secrets" he protested.

Sue-Ellen giggled. "Yeah right! Look, I have a lot of time for Pamela, no matter what your opinion of her, and I just don't think that the demands that everyone, Bobby included, place on her are entirely reasonable. I guess that's why I'm on less than friendly terms with Bobby these days." JR shook his head. "Well, Sue-Ellen, you do realise that whatever secret it is that you're keeping I will find out" he warned her, gazing directly into her eyes. She met his gaze. She had played this game of bluff with him before and she knew exactly how it worked.

She placed her hand on his inner thigh. Distraction was what was required. He knew that she was playing him but her touch was electric and he felt powerless to stop it. "What do you want to do to me later?" she whispered, brushing her lips gently against the lobe of his ear. "You know what I like, darlin" he replied. As she was about to respond the chef announced that dinner was ready. "Thank you. That all looks magnificent" Sue-Ellen told him as she made her way into the kitchen. Tipping him generously she then showed him the door. "We can take care of everything from here. Thank you again."

JR gallantly pulled out a chair for his wife. He wanted dinner over with as quickly as possible. Other than the risk of waking their babies, which he estimated would be very low if they did it in front of the fire, he adored the fact that they could make love with abandon at this place. Although they had moved bedrooms upon their return to Southfork they were still both extremely self-conscious about any of the family hearing them having sex. Here it was just the two of them and they could do as they pleased.

"JR, I do declare that you are wolfing your dinner down!" Sue-Ellen exclaimed, placing her knife and fork down on her plate. "Did you skip lunch?" "No honey, I'm just hungry, in more ways than one in fact" he replied, winking cheekily at her. Sue-Ellen smiled and patted his hand. "We have the rest of the night to ourselves" she advised him. "No need to give yourself indigestion."

When they were done JR led Sue-Ellen to the sofa. After several minutes of passionate kissing she broke away and stood up. Never once taking her eyes off him she began to take her clothes off, slowly and sensuously. He watched her every move. Who would have thought that the innocent girl who walked down the aisle with him would have grown into such a sexually confident woman? He thought as he admired her body.

She leant over him and kissed him once more, breaking off only to help him out of his clothes. As he began to shed the last few garments she lay down on the rug and watched him. She licked her lips as she observed his hard-on. She was signalling what she expected him to do next. He kneeled over her and permitted her to take him in her mouth. He moaned as she began sucking him and stroking his balls at the same time. He reached down and tweaked her nipple causing her to cry out gently. He quickly withdrew. He didn't want things to move so fast but he couldn't help himself. He placed his hand between her legs. She was already wet and ready for him. He moved her onto her side and entered her from behind. He placed his arm around her waist and began to make slow and gentle thrusting movements inside her. Using his fore-finger he pleasured her special spot at the same time. As he began to kiss the nape of her neck, inhaling her perfume as he did so, he made her come. She shuddered and tightened around him as she climaxed.

When she was done he withdrew and flipped her over on her back. "I want to go on top" he told her as he nailed her to the rug. This time his thrusts were harder and faster. It was all about his pleasure now. He looked down at her. Her eyes were shining in the light from the fire. "Are you alright, sugar?" he enquired, kissing her lips firmly as he continued. "Harder, JR, do it harder" she told him breathlessly. As he did her bidding he sent himself over the edge. Grunting at the sheer release he came inside her. When they had both recovered their composure JR helped her to her feet. He then lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs. He might not have discovered her secret but in all other ways the weekend had begun amazingly well.

tbc

 **No chapter now probably until the weekend due to work commitments :(**


	153. Chapter 154

"Surprise!" the attendant company shouted as Jock entered the hallway of his home. JR and Bobby were with him. They had spent the entire week keeping their father very occupied at Ewing Oil to enable the women to make the final arrangements for the party.

Jock wasn't usually a man to show his feelings but this time he was genuinely touched by his wife's gesture. Accepting a glass of champagne he kissed her tenderly and thanked her before making his way around the living room to greet their guests. Bobby stared at Sue-Ellen. She looked stunning in a floor length, black evening gown that Pam had recommended for her. He watched as JR made his way over to her to deliver a kiss and instantly felt jealous. "Bobby? "Would you like a drink?" Pam asked, offering him a flute. He turned to his wife. She looked very pretty but there was no comparison to Sue-Ellen in his eyes. "Uh, yes thanks honey" he responded.

The family began to circulate, making sure that no guest was overlooked. As Miss Ellie made for the kitchen to ask the staff to begin bringing the canapes out there was a knock on the door. Digger and Cliff had arrived. "Come in, you are most welcome" she told them. The two men entered the house nervously. Only forty minutes earlier they had debated the wisdom of attending the party, going backwards and forwards about the pros and cons in doing so. In the end Digger made the running by informing Cliff that if he had to he would go alone. There was no way, however, that his son would permit him to do so. Cliff didn't always see eye to eye with his daddy but family loyalty counted for a lot in his mind.

Miss Ellie looked the two of them up and down. They had both made the effort to look smart for the occasion. Digger, newly sober after a rough few weeks of having gone "cold turkey", had shaved and had his hair cut. He smiled at Miss Ellie shyly, remembering with acute embarrassment the state he had been in when she last saw him. His smile was always the same, she thought. It put her in mind of his younger days when he romanced her and almost won her heart. Cliff looked handsome in his tuxedo but at the same time very uncomfortable. The truth was that he didn't want to be there despite the fact that Sue-Ellen, for whom he still carried a torch, would be in attendance.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Miss Ellie asked. "Soda water, please, for the two of us" Cliff replied. He realised that his father would be tempted by the lavish free bar that had been set up but had to avoid him having the opportunity to indulge. Miss Ellie went to fetch the drinks. As she did so Pam was the next person to see them. They were standing on the outskirts of the room like the outsiders that they were. "What are you two doing here?" she questioned them. "We were invited. By Miss Ellie" Digger replied. "Why on earth would she do that?" she muttered under her breath. "Don't worry Pam. We're not here for any trouble" Cliff advised her.

Miss Ellie returned with the sodas. "Come on you two, let's get it over with" she told them, beckoning them to follow her. As they followed her the room fell silent. All eyes were on them. Cliff took a sly glance at Sue-Ellen. She pointedly avoided eye contact. Jock's and JR's attention was drawn by the sudden awkward hush that had descended over the party. "What the hell?" JR shouted as he spotted them.

"Miss Ellie?" Jock asked with palpable irritation. "Jock, it's time" she announced. "For what woman?" he asked. "Jock, we are here for Pamela and Bobby" Digger began. "It's time to let bygones be bygones, for their sake as much as ours." He extended his hand to Jock. Jock remained unmoved. "You're wasting your time, old man. There's nothing that you and your son can do to make up for the wrong that the pair of you have done to me and my family" Jock responded angrily. "I don't forgive and I don't forget. I thought the pair of you would have known that by now! Please leave my house. Neither of you is welcome here."

"Come on daddy. I told you that coming here was a big mistake" Cliff advised his father. As he turned on his heels Sue-Ellen once more came into view. "Take your eyes off my wife, termite!" JR shouted. "She's way too expensive for you." The gloves were off. Cliff wasn't going to stand for any further humiliation at the hands of the Ewing men. "Oh, I've done a lot more than just look at the lovely Mrs Sue-Ellen Ewing, as well you know, JR" he replied. Sue-Ellen blushed and shook her head whilst Lucy looked on in delight. This was getting to be really good, she thought.

JR threw a punch at him but Cliff ducked out of the way. However, before he could attempt to return the gesture, Bobby waded in and delivered a clean blow to his chin knocking him off his feet. "Bobby, no!" Pam shrieked, attempting to hold him back from doing any further damage to her brother. "Enough!" Miss Ellie commanded. Cliff managed to get to his feet. Placing his hand on his father's shoulder he guided him out of the room. As they got to the doorway he couldn't resist one last provocation. "We came here tonight in good faith at the invitation of Mrs Ewing. We did not intend to cause any trouble. You have all just witnessed how rotten this family is" he retorted before finally leaving.

Jock waved his hand. "Losers. Now, where's the food? Let's all get on and enjoy ourselves" he announced. He then looked at Miss Ellie. She was obviously furious as she strode off into the kitchen. JR approached Sue-Ellen. She glared at him, mortified, and turned on her heels. She was going to check on her children, she told him. He made to touch her arm but she shrugged him off and shot him a look that indicated that he should not attempt to follow her. As she went up the stairs she was joined hurriedly by Pam. "Are you okay?" Sue-Ellen asked, noting the tears that were falling down her sister-in-law's cheeks. "No" Pam replied. "I'm not Sue-Ellen. I can't stand another minute in this house. I'm leaving."

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	154. Chapter 155

Sue-Ellen looked on helplessly as Pam began to pack a suitcase. "Please Pam, don't go. It won't solve anything between you and Bobby. In fact, it's likely to make matters worse" she pleaded. Pam was throwing random items of clothing and toiletries into the case, her upset and anger preventing her from taking a more considered approach to the task. "I have to, Sue-Ellen. This place is driving me mad. Sure, I could have guessed that Jock and JR would not take kindly to my daddy and brother coming here tonight but Bobby! He stands there and just allows my daddy to be humiliated and then tries to beat Cliff to a pulp! No, I can't stay here, not with a husband who has no loyalty to me and won't defend me or my family."

Sue-Ellen went to fetch Bobby. He would have to talk to Pam, to apologise and persuade her to stay, she thought as she scoured the downstairs of the house for him. She found him outside having a strip torn off him by his mother. "Excuse me" Sue-Ellen interrupted "Bobby, Pam is packing her things. She says she is leaving." "Well there you are then. Is that what you wanted?" Miss Ellie asked him. "Of course not" he replied. Miss Ellie's doubtful expression in response to her son's protestation of denial worried Sue-Ellen. Was he just going to give up on his marriage, she wondered, and if so, what was his motivation? It couldn't be her, surely? It was all too surreal.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Sue-Ellen asked Bobby tersely. He appeared rooted to the spot. Miss Ellie threw her hands in the air in exasperation with him. At that Bobby took his leave of the two women. Miss Ellie looked questioningly at her daughter-in-law. Sue-Ellen knew that her mother-in-law had worked out what was at the back of all of this but she decided to say nothing. "What a mess" she commented instead. "I'm livid, Sue-Ellen, with the three of them and in front of our guests as well. Couldn't they appreciate how hard it must have been for Digger to swallow his pride and offer the olive branch that he did?" Sue-Ellen sighed. "I'm mad with JR for provoking Cliff. It was so embarrassing." "You know JR. Where you are concerned he is ruled by his jealousy, always has been and always will in my opinion." It's as if she was warning me, Sue-Ellen pondered anxiously as she made her way back inside.

The two women re-joined the party. There were appearances to be kept up where the other guests were concerned. Everything had to appear normal. Every time JR came near Sue-Ellen deftly and discreetly moved away. She didn't want to speak to him right now for fear of losing her cool in public, which would never do, particularly after what had just happened. She worried about what was taking place upstairs. Would Bobby even try to persuade Pam to stay? She wondered.

As the party drew to a close and the last of the guests took their leave Pam and Bobby emerged. He was holding her suitcase. The family entered the living room and sat down. JR patted the arm of his usual chair for Sue-Ellen but she ignored him studiously and seated herself on the sofa next to Lucy instead. The young girl had enjoyed the evening's drama but was now worried. She was sufficiently astute to realise that her young aunt was about to walk out.

"What's going on?" Jock asked. His insensitivity was, at times, shocking even to the likes of Miss Ellie who had shared her life with him for all these years. "I'm leaving" Pam replied sadly. "Bobby?" his mother enquired. Bobby shook his head. "I've tried to talk her out of it, mama, but Pam's mind is made up." "Where are you going to go?" Lucy asked. She was becoming tearful. "To a hotel, at least at first" Pam replied. Jock shook his head. "This is nonsense" he commented. "No, Jock it isn't. This evening I watched you destroy my daddy, yet again and in public. He's almost certainly drowning his sorrows in some two-bit bar right now, having fought to become sober just so that he could be on equal terms with you tonight. I didn't expect you to treat my family with anything but contempt, JR, but to witness my husband say nothing and then punch Cliff to the floor…" she trailed off tearfully. Brushing the tears from her face she took her luggage from Bobby, turned and walked out. Seconds later the roar of the engine of her Porsche indicated that she was gone.

Sue-Ellen placed her arm around Lucy's shoulder to comfort her. The young girl had been exposed to so much instability in her short life to date and she felt sorry for her. "This is all your fault!" Miss Ellie raged, glaring first at Jock, then JR and, finally, Bobby. Jock started to protest. "Bad idea inviting them here, Ellie. You should have known how the situation was bound to play itself out." "Shut up! I've had enough of you, all three of you" the woman responded. "Once again the family's in tatters because of your conduct!"

It was Sue-Ellen's turn to wade into the debate. "You couldn't play it cool could you, JR? Do you have the first idea of the position I have been placed in? Do you? It will be all over Dallas by tomorrow that I have had some sort of inappropriate relationship with Cliff Barnes." "Honey…" "Don't honey me, JR, or you might find me following in Pam's footsteps." JR was immediately cowed by the threat of her leaving. He hung his head and looked at the floor. There would have to be a whole load of grovelling done to win her round after this, he reckoned. "And you, Bobby? Really?" She turned her head away to demonstrate her disgust with him. "I've lost the only friend I had because of you" she muttered. She was tempted to turn on Jock but decided against it out of respect for and a degree of fear of her elder.

"Come on, Lucy, let's go to bed" Miss Ellie advised the girl. The three females got up and left the room together. As Sue-Ellen reached the doorway she turned her head. "JR, you can sleep in one of the guest bedrooms tonight. I'm upset and I want to be on my own."

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	155. Chapter 156

"You've been holding out on me for over two weeks, darlin" JR told Sue-Ellen as he watched her settle John Ross after his morning feed. "Bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolates and fancy bottles of perfume solve nothing between us" she replied. "I'm still entitled to be angry with you over what happened with Pam, JR, and that's not to speak of the episode involving her brother."

"A man has needs and a wife has obligations" he advised her sternly. "How wonderfully basic you are, my love. A true Ewing" she responded sardonically. Her comment wasn't just intended to be about her husband. "I mean it, Sue-Ellen. You're only here for as long as it pleases me and right now there is no pleasure in our marriage" he threatened. "Now, I've grown tired of playing to your tune, being all polite and respectful of your wishes. When I get home this evening I'm returning to our bed where I expect you to be real attentive, like a good wife should." To demonstrate his point he moved closer and pushed his erection against her body, groping her buttocks as he did so. She looked at him in mock disgust. In reality she was somewhat excited by his forcefulness.

"In fact I don't have to set off for work for another half an hour. We can make things right between us now." He took hold of her wrist firmly and began to walk her out of the nursery and towards their room. She tried to wriggle free but he was far too strong for her. "I could scream" she advised him. "Oh no, sugar, you're not going to do that, are you?" he called her bluff. He knew her. She would never risk the embarrassment of having to explain.

They entered the bedroom and JR quickly closed the door. For safe measure he put the catch on. They were not going to be interrupted. Sue-Ellen's heart was pounding. It wasn't often that she saw this side of her husband but when she did she always felt a mixture of fear and arousal. "Come here and give me a kiss" he demanded. She shook her head. Annoyed by her stubbornness he threw her down on the bed and lay on top of her, employing his full weight and using his legs to clamp hers down. She wasn't going to have any chance to kick him this time, he calculated.

She tried to resist but his strength was too much for her. As he began kissing her neck and face he felt her racing heart and knew. She wasn't in fear of him. She was enjoying it. He kissed her again, this time on the lips. She didn't respond which only increased his ardour. He wanted her to say it, to tell him that she wanted him, inside her, pounding her.

"Come on now, Miss Texas. You know what I like. Touch me" he demanded, pushing her hand down towards his crotch. He was impressively hard, she thought as she maintained the façade of unwillingness. He freed himself from his pants and forced her hand down on him once again. He was pulsing with desire she noted as she made a weak attempt to wriggle away from him. With his other hand he lifted her skirt and moved her panties aside. She moaned ever so slightly as he touched her. He was thrilled by the involuntary way that she demonstrated pleasure at his touch.

He kissed her again. She remained deliberately unresponsive. She realised that she was driving him wild with the ambiguity of her conduct towards him. He splayed her legs apart and moved his body into position. "You know you want this, darlin. Tell me what you want" he urged her. She shook her head. She was enjoying this game now. Before entering her he used his fingers on her. She writhed in response and moaned once again. She was wet for him. "Say it, Sue-Ellen. Say you want me" he told her as he entered her sharply. "God you feel so good, so very good" he groaned, increasing his thrusts as she arched her back in obvious pleasure at their coupling.

For a minute or two she remained stubbornly resistant to returning his kisses. JR felt frustrated but at the same time aroused by the way that she was playing him. He knew she was enjoying him having her by the physicality of her reactions. She was tightening around him by the second and her nails were clawing at his back in sheer desire. As he pushed her further to the edge she suddenly succumbed and began kissing him. They were the hungry and passionate kisses that he had come to appreciate from her, the kisses that drove him mad with lust for her. He could have loosened his hold on her from that point as it was clear that she was submitting to him. However, the intensity of the experience for both of them told him to carry on being rough, powerful and forceful.

She moaned in ecstasy and finally told him what he wanted to hear. "Yes, JR! Do it to me however you want!" "Oh I will, Sue-Ellen, because you are mine, sugar" he told her. He continued thrusting and, at the same time, contorted his head and neck so that he could suck firmly on her nipple through her blouse. He knew that would send her over the edge. She grasped the edge of the eiderdown as she entered into momentary oblivion. Within seconds of her climax he came too. It lasted ages, the sole benefit of having gone without sex for so many days. As they uncoupled he kissed her, this time tenderly. "Am I forgiven, honey?" "I suppose so" she answered in mock churlishness. "You need to know, JR, that Pam and I are going to remain friends, not matter what. I've already met up with her in town on several occasions. That won't stop, you know." JR nodded. As long as he and Sue-Ellen were alright again he could put up with that.

They lay in each other's arms for a while. He didn't want to leave her, not now after what they had just been to each other, but he had to. He kissed her again and promised not to be too late back from work. He was hoping for another encounter before dinner. He got up to adjust his clothes and tidy himself up. Hearing his brother's movement Bobby quickly retreated from the door. If Sue-Ellen was his wife he would never have done to her what JR had just done, he decided as he quickly descended the stairs.

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 **Thank you for all the reviews. No chapter tomorrow- work to be done : (**


	156. Chapter 157

Bobby watched as JR kissed Sue-Ellen goodbye. "Say honey, why don't you come by the office at 6.30 and I'll take you out for dinner?" he asked. He wanted to make things right with her, not just in the bedroom, but in general. Secretly he had hated the falling out that took place in the aftermath of Pam's departure and he hadn't meant for one second what he had told her about her wifely duty to keep him happy. Over dinner, on neutral ground, he intended to tell her, inform her that, no matter what, he would never wish to give up on their marriage because he loved her and would never want anyone else.

"That would be lovely. We haven't been out for a while. Thank you, JR" she responded returning the kiss. "Wear something real nice for me, honey. You know what I mean don't you?" She understood the coded message. If she had time she would go into town and buy a new set of lingerie, something he hadn't seen before and would appreciate when they got home from dinner.

Bobby felt a mixture of jealousy and confusion about what he was witnessing. Although he tried not to he betrayed himself by the shake of his head as he downed his coffee, put on his jacket and made for the door. "I won't be home for dinner either, mama" Bobby told her, a hint of irritation in his voice. "I've got too much to do. I'll eat in town later." JR glanced at his mother. She shrugged her shoulders to indicate that she had no idea what was the matter with him but the truth was that she knew full well what irked her youngest son.

"Walk out with me, sugar?" JR asked Sue-Ellen. As they got to his car he threw his arms around her and gave her another kiss. It was tactical. He wanted to gauge his brother's reaction to it because, from what he had just seen, it appeared that Bobby had a problem with him and his wife being happy. Bobby gave him all the confirmation he needed by slamming his car door shut and accelerating quickly away from the ranch.

"What's his problem?" he enquired, disingenuously, because all of a sudden everything made sense. Sly, admiring glances when she was in her bathing suit, over-attention to her dinner-time conversation, devotion to her when she was so unwell, irritation when they demonstrated affection towards each other and the lack of any effort to reconcile with Pam. His little brother was sweet on Sue-Ellen! Ordinarily he would have gone overboard and interrogated his wife, strongly and harshly, right away to determine whether the feeling was mutual. However, today, after what they had just done together to resolve matters between them he decided to hold his nerve and wait. He knew exactly how he would find out precisely what, if anything, was going on. "Don't know. Perhaps he misses Pam" Sue-Ellen lied as she watched her husband get into his car and switch on the engine. "Hmmm. See you later, honey. Don't be late."

Driving into Dallas JR's thoughts became consumed by Bobby and Sue-Ellen. What if little Lucy had it right all that time ago that they were lovers? he wondered, torturing himself with a mental picture of Bobby all over her, inside her, making love to her and her enjoying every last minute. By the time he arrived at the office he needed a stiff drink, just to calm down and permit him to think things through. It wasn't like JR to take alcohol before lunch at the earliest but today was different. If he didn't partake of a swift bourbon and branch he would go right through to his brother's office and kill him, he thought as he poured the liquor into the glass.

After several minutes of staring through his office window, using the vista to help him to regain his composure he got up and went out into the general office. "Can I see Bobby's schedule for today please?" he asked his brother's secretary. She opened the diary at that day's page and passed it to him for inspection. Good, he thought as he looked at the meetings and appointments neatly recorded in the book. "Thank you" he responded. Bobby's secretary would attach minimal, if any, significance to his request, he calculated. The three Ewing men regularly enquired about each other's work commitments. Today's request would be seen as no different from any other.

He returned to his office and opened a file. It contained a somewhat lame proposal from a smaller oil company that needed to offload several fields for tax purposes. He picked up the telephone and made an appointment to see the chief executive of the company at 5.30pm that day. If there was anything going on he was going to catch them out, he schemed.

After what seemed like an age, during which he struggled to concentrate on anything other than his wife and brother, the hands of the clock finally reached 5pm. JR put on his jacket, adjusted his tie and picked up his attache case. He had to make this look convincing. "Come in" Bobby called in response to JR's knock. "Hey, Bobby. When I invited Sue-Ellen out this evening I completely forgot about a meeting I'd arranged with Steven Jones. It's about the sale of some fields. I'm hoping to be back on time but if I'm not will you keep her company for me, please?" he asked. "Bobby looked up from his paperwork at the mention of his sister-in-law. "Sure, JR" he replied. "Thank you, I really appreciate it" JR answered pleasantly. Inside he was seething.

The meeting lasted no more than twenty minutes. It was a polite thanks but no thanks from Ewing Oil type of affair. JR shook hands with his opposite number and took his leave. He now needed to bide his time.

At 6.30pm prompt Sue-Ellen arrived. Bobby had been keeping an eye out for her. Everyone else had gone for the day. He had hoped that JR's meeting would overrun as this would enable him to spend a little time alone with her. Now it looked as if he was going to have his wish granted. He guided her into his office, explaining her husband's absence. Impetuously, whilst under the guise of chivalry, he slipped her coat from her shoulders and hung it up. He wanted to take a proper look at her. He wasn't disappointed because she looked particularly stunning in a vivid blue cocktail dress that accentuated her dark beauty and toned figure.

"Take a seat" he told her, pointing to his leather sofa. He immediately sat down next to her. "Can I get you anything?" he enquired. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "No thank you, I'm fine" she responded. She was desperate for her husband to return and rescue her from her feeling of intense discomfort in Bobby's sole presence.

"Are you alright, Sue-Ellen?" Bobby began. "I'm just fine, Bobby" she answered curtly. "I saw you and JR this morning. He had hold of you by the wrist and you looked scared. He didn't hurt you did he?" This was his way in to find out if his older brother had indeed forced himself, at least initially, upon her. He had underestimated her though. "It's really none of your business, Bobby, but the answer is no. JR did not do anything to hurt me. It was simply time for us to have a discussion about putting an end to our disagreement about your wife and her brother" she told him flatly, emphasising the word "wife" as she did so. She did not wish to encourage any further talk about the state of her marriage knowing, by now, how Bobby evidently continued to feel about her.

Bobby touched a curled lock of her hair that had fallen attractively on her shoulder. She cringed and moved his hand firmly away. "You don't have to pretend to me that all is well between you and JR. He's a monster and I know he makes you miserable" he told her, attempting to take her hand in his. "No, Bobby. This will not do" she countered, pulling her hand away sharply. "I hoped that I would never have to say this to you, that you'd come to your senses all by yourself, but you haven't. You're totally deluded where our relationship is concerned." "Was I deluded when you let me take you in my arms and kiss you?" he asked, angrily. This wasn't turning out the way he had believed it would. She glared at him and stood up to leave. He had just broken the mutual promise they had made never to mention the encounter again. "Was I delusional about you enjoying every second of it, Sue-Ellen? You and I have always had a special connection. You know it and so do I."

Before she could respond JR thundered into the office. He had heard every word that had passed between them and he was livid.

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	157. Chapter 158

JR was wild-eyed with rage. "When?" he shouted. Bobby squared up to him whilst Sue-Ellen retreated several steps. She had only seen him like this once before- the night that she had left him. "I asked you both a question!" he roared. "When did you kiss?" Attempting to remain calm Sue-Ellen held her hand up to prevent Bobby from answering first. She was going to do the talking not her deranged brother-in-law.

"It was ages ago, before Ella's birth, JR. He initiated it and I stopped it." She wasn't telling the whole truth. If she did he would probably kill them both if his expression was anything to judge by. Bobby made to protest but his sister-in-law's glare prevented him from continuing. Suddenly, out of nowhere, JR landed a punch on Bobby's chin. It sent him flying across the office. "Does that make you feel better, JR?" he asked as he staggered to his feet. "Oh I haven't even started with the pair of you yet" he responded.

"Forget him" Sue-Ellen commanded in an authoritative tone. She gave Bobby a filthy look. If she was going to get herself out of this she needed to sound convincing. "Let's go into your office. We need to talk." She let him take hold of her by the arm and lead her into his room. Pushing her inside he closed the door behind them and turned the key in the lock. He would force the truth out of her one way or the other and Bobby would be the last person to interfere.

JR pushed Sue-Ellen down onto the sofa. He remained standing, arms folded. He wanted to slap her but something made him refrain from doing so. She stood up and, never once taking her eyes from his, she began. "Remember the day when Bobby ended his relationship with Grace Kay? That was the day when your daddy punched Bobby to the floor in temper and I went off for a walk with him. That's when he kissed me." "Go on." The bile was rising up through JR's stomach and into his throat. He was trying to keep his hands away from her for fear of what he might do. Inside Sue-Ellen was shaking but on the surface she continued to keep her cool. He made an advance to me on that walk. He revealed how he had felt about me ever since the day you first introduced us. Then he kissed me. I pulled away from him, JR, and told him that nothing like that he must never do that again. If you recall it was immediately after that he asked your daddy to send him back on the road again. That was part of the bargain we made. I wouldn't tell you but, in turn, he had to make himself scarce." She had just thrown Bobby under the proverbial bus but she didn't care. Her entire future was at stake here.

JR stared at her. He had a million questions but he would bide his time and wait to see what else she had to say. "When he came back, after we had Ella, he didn't do or say anything else that would be regarded as inappropriate. I felt that the whole incident had just been precipitated by his immaturity and heightened emotion on the day and that was that. What would have been the point in my telling you? Other than, of course, to drive an even greater wedge between the pair of you."

"What about what he just told you now?" he asked. "Things changed again after I had John Ross. Bobby started acting all creepy once more. My therapist was the first to notice it and she warned me to steer clear of him. That's what I have been doing, constantly. You know that because you asked me about it." "Yes and you lied, Sue-Ellen. So many lies slip so easily from that pretty mouth, darlin, how do I know that you're telling me the truth now?" he snarled. "Because you know I love you, JR. You are the only man I have ever loved." She dared to move closer to him in the belief that she was no longer in immediate danger. She was wrong.

He took hold of her by both shoulders causing her to gasp in surprise. His grip was fierce and painful. "I don't believe you" he told her, shaking her whilst backing her up against the wall at the same time. "Well then ask your mother!" she replied. She instantly regretted her panicked response. "What does my mother have to do with all of this?" God, she thought, how am I going to get out of this? It was all such a mess. "Sue-Ellen, I asked you a question. Where does my mama fit in to what you have just told me?" he raged. His face was just an inch away from hers and there was venom in his eyes.

"She knows how your brother feels about me!" Sue-Ellen shrieked. She pushed JR roughly away from her and moved quickly back to the centre of the room. "Marvellous! This couldn't get any worse" he shouted. "My brother wants to make a cuckold out of me, my mother knows yet chooses not to say anything! This speaks volumes about how I'm regarded by my own family!" Sue-Ellen shook her head. "I'm sorry, JR, I truly am. Did you hear all of mine and Bobby's conversation this evening? I mean, every word of it?"

He nodded. She had diverted his attention, but only momentarily. "You heard me reject Bobby in the clearest possible terms, didn't you?" He sighed. It was true. She had been crystal clear that she lacked any feelings for the man. "And you heard me accuse Bobby of being delusional?" He nodded again. "That's what he is, JR. He's got a problem and he needs help. There, I've said it." She touched his hand briefly and was relieved when he did not withdraw from her.

A knock came at the door. "JR? Sue-Ellen? Let us in" It was Jock. JR moved to the door and opened it. Both his parents were standing there. Bobby had called them straight after he had taken Sue-Ellen into his office. "Are you alright, Sue-Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked. "I'm fine, Miss Ellie, thank you." Miss Ellie looked at JR. Bobby hadn't been specific about the dispute that had arisen when he had rung home but she had guessed what this was all about. "Now, listen, things are going to be straightened right out tonight" she informed them. "Ellie?" Jock asked. How did his wife know what this was all about? He wondered. "Oh yes, mama, they sure are. Some home truths need to be told" her eldest son warned her.

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	158. Chapter 159

"Yes there are" Miss Ellie responded sternly. JR and Bobby both made to speak, the former motivated by a quest for the truth, the latter hoping to paper over the cracks, especially in the presence of his father. "Does neither of you have any respect for your elders?" Miss Ellie asked them. Her tone indicated that she meant business. Her sons fell immediately silent.

Sue-Ellen took a seat on the sofa. JR joined her. They had always had a habit of sitting very close together, their bodies touching, and, much to Sue-Ellen's relief, this time was no exception. Jock went to take JR's usual seat behind the desk but then gave way in favour of his wife. He still had no idea what was going on other than that there had been a disagreement between his sons and his daughter-in-law. He took a seat at the window behind Miss Ellie. Bobby remained standing near the door in case he had to make a quick escape. He could handle JR but not his father if he started anything, he calculated.

"Mama" Bobby interjected. "I thought you'd got the message. Shut up, Bobby. I will chair this discussion" his mother warned him. She knew that he was trying to get her to close down just how long his behaviour had been going on for. "Yes ma'am" he replied meekly.

"A while ago there was trouble in our family. It related to something that Lucy said about the relationship between Bobby and Sue-Ellen. It was refuted by both of them and the rest of us deemed it nonsense, the product of an over-imaginative, adolescent mind. Where Sue-Ellen was concerned I am completely satisfied that she was telling the truth. However, Bobby…." Her youngest son looked at her pleadingly. She shook her head and continued. "Bobby was harbouring inappropriate feelings and thoughts about his sister-in-law. Over much time I have observed his interactions with her and I am convinced now that Lucy had it right all along."

"I don't understand!" Jock cried. "What inappropriate feelings? Miss Ellie?" "You're in love with her aren't you, Bobby?" she responded. Bobby shook his head. Sue-Ellen stared at the floor. She had hoped that it would never come to this. "Mama, please don't do this" he begged. His intention, until his mother had taken control, was to allege that both JR and Sue-Ellen had misinterpreted his words of brotherly concern for the young woman as something much more sinister. In other words, to face them down in the hope that, as his father's favourite, he would receive the backing of Jock and the whole sorry mess would just go away.

"Oh no, Bobby. It's too late for that. Let's face it you are sexually attracted to Sue-Ellen. That's why you basically let Pam go. Because you don't want her. When Sue-Ellen left JR he acted as any proper husband should. He fought for his marriage, not always in the most appropriate of ways, but he did and he won her back. You, son, have done nothing and that, together with my other observations of your behaviour, speaks volumes."

Jock was baffled. He understood how two men could be in love with the same woman at the same time. It had happened with him and Digger over Ellie, until he had seen Digger off, but between two brothers? That was plain unnatural he thought as he tried to process what his wife was saying and work out the potential implications for his family.

JR wanted to speak, to validate everything his mother was saying, but he was afraid of engendering his mother's anger. He would bide his time instead. "JR, Sue-Ellen, I tried everything I could to warn him off. My biggest regret, apart from the fact that I have raised one of my sons to have little or no sense of decency, is that I kept this to myself. It was stupid and wrong of me. I just wanted the problem to go away by itself. I'm sorry" she continued.

Bobby went to leave. "Oh no! You stay right there, son" his father warned him. "Whether you like it or not the truth will out."

"Daddy, mama's right. My little brother hasn't just harboured inappropriate feelings for Sue-Ellen. On two occasions he has acted on them haven't you, Bob? And on each occasion my wife has rebuffed him." Jock sighed and shook his head. His family had kept so many secrets from him over the years. The fact disappointed him until a rare flash of insight told him that his volatile, explosive temper was probably the reason. Even Miss Ellie, his wife of 35 years, hadn't been able to contemplate sharing her worries with him for fear of how he might react.

JR's words provoked Bobby. If he couldn't have Sue-Ellen then he would make sure that JR didn't either. "You're not the goody two shoes you would have JR believe, are you Sue-Ellen?" he snarled. "Bobby don't" she warned him. The other three stared from one to the other. "Well go on then! Don't hold us all in suspense" Jock replied. Although he knew that his daughter-in-law was a devoted wife and mother a tiny part of him did recognise a coquettish, flirtatious side to her. She was only too aware of the power her looks held over men, he pondered. Had she led Bobby on in some way? He wondered.

"I'm not listening to his insane nonsense" Sue-Ellen announced. "I have done nothing wrong and I have nothing to be ashamed of. He's the lowest of the low!" Miss Ellie nodded in agreement. "Don't say anything that you will live to regret, Bobby" his mother warned him. For her son, however, there was no going back. If he was going down for this he was taking Sue-Ellen with him.

"Tell them, Miss Texas, about how easily you fell into my arms when I told you how I felt about you? Be honest about how easy you made it for me to kiss you? Oh and then all those secret meetings with Cliff in which you ensnared him with a flash of cleavage or the sight of your lovely long legs!" JR made to stand but Sue-Ellen pushed him gently back in his seat and got up herself. "You've got real problems, Bobby" she shouted as she delivered a heavy slap to his face.

"You deserved that" Jock told him. "Ewing men never show disrespect towards women." Miss Ellie sighed at the supreme irony of her husband's words but she had to agree that the slap had been very much merited.

"So what is to be done?" JR asked. "Sue-Ellen's right, Bobby has lost the plot." "I'll tell you what we are going to do" Jock responded. "Nothing. The Ewings keep their problems to themselves. Bobby, keep your eyes off and your hands away from Sue-Ellen or else you will have me to deal with." "Unbelievable! If I had behaved towards Pam as he has done with my wife I would have been run off the ranch" JR cried, smarting at the injustice of his father's decision. "If he isn't off Southfork tomorrow, daddy, then Sue-Ellen, the children and I will be."

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 **Thank you for all the reviews and ideas. No chapter tomorrow- it's a big exam results day in the UK :0**


	159. Chapter 160

"There's no need for that, JR" Miss Ellie stated calmly. "Bobby you will have to go. It's clear that you living under the same roof as JR and Sue-Ellen would be completely untenable, at least for the foreseeable future. You can use the Ewing condo until you find something more permanent." Jock glowered at his wife but decided to say nothing. He knew that JR had delivered a powerful ultimatum, one that he knew his wife would be obliged to accept. She adored her little grandchildren and couldn't contemplate them being brought up anywhere other than Southfork. Bobby nodded sadly and took his leave.

"Come on, let's go home" she told Jock. "On the way we will have to figure out what to say to Lucy. Then there's Pam to consider. How is this going to look to her?" Jock shrugged his shoulders. "The obvious thing to tell her is that Bobby and JR have had a catastrophic fall out over business. You never know, him living in town might bring them closer together" he responded. It wasn't a bad idea, Miss Ellie thought, although she remained unsure that her youngest son and his wife would be able to resolve their differences given their root cause.

"We are going to remain in town until later, mama" JR told Miss Ellie. "I don't want to breathe the same air as my little brother right now." "Alright then. We'll see you in the morning." Sue-Ellen sighed and then nodded. She was so sad that things had turned out this way. However, she realised that with Bobby carrying on the way he had been doing it was only a matter of time before his secret would be discovered.

When his parents had left JR turned to her. "We will have lost our reservation by now, honey" he informed her, glancing at the office clock. "I tell you what, though, I'm starving." Sue-Ellen walked out into the general office, took the telephone directory, skimmed through and then made a call. "Pizza" she announced. "It will be delivered in thirty minutes." JR shook his head and laughed. "Capital idea!" He wasn't usually the type to eat take-out food, preferring more traditional home-cooked fare, but tonight he would eat practically anything.

He sat down behind his desk. "So, what are we going to do with ourselves while we wait" he asked. Sue-Ellen looked over at the television set but JR had other ideas. He patted his knee. "Come here" he growled. "I want to show you how much I love you." He watched her as she walked towards him. In his angry, jealous haze he hadn't noticed how good she looked tonight. She sat on his knee and placed her arm around his neck. "You do realise that I would never be unfaithful to you, don't you, JR?" she asked him anxiously, stroking his cheek affectionately. He had been vicious towards her until she had managed to convince him that she felt nothing for Bobby. She had learnt a valuable lesson, though, as to how to handle her husband's jealous outbursts. By maintaining her cool and giving him no sense that she found his behaviour to be menacing she had managed to bring him right down.

JR nodded. "And you do realise that I couldn't imagine being with any other woman than you don't you darlin? I didn't mean what I told you this morning and I'm sorry" he replied, moving his hand slyly under the hem of her dress to stroke her silk-clad thigh. "Hmm hmm" she responded, moving in for a kiss. Their lips met and suddenly they no longer had any cares. As they kissed each other hungrily all the problems that they had recently seemed to melt away. They loved each other and shared a deep, mutual attraction. They also had their children. What more could a young married couple want?

JR took a stronger hold over her as he stood up with her in his arms. He moved to the sofa and gently placed her on it. "JR we can't! Not here!" she announced breathlessly, although the truth was that she had sometimes fantasised about them doing it in his office, the secretaries and the other Ewing men oblivious to what they were getting up to behind the locked doors. "Nonsense" he told her. "It's my office and I can do whatever I want in it. I want you, Sue-Ellen, right now." Kneeling down in front of her he pushed her dress up to expose her legs. He confidently removed her panties and moved her legs apart. There was no resistance. She desired him and wanted to share her body with him, to make him happy and give him pleasure.

He quickly went down on her. He too wanted to please her, to arouse her and to make her good and ready for him. She grasped his hair as he expertly used his tongue on her, alternating between flickers and firmer, more lingering licks. "JR" she moaned "that's so good, don't stop! I'm going to come!" JR growled as he continued. He adored it when he made her come. He held the tip of his tongue against her clitoris as she shuddered and moaned. When it was over he stood up quickly and released himself from his pants. "I need you inside me, right now" she told him. "You always feel so good just after you've done that to me" she panted. Placing his hands under her buttocks he pulled her closer to the edge of the sofa and entered her. She was soaking wet from his efforts. "Do it hard. Fuck me hard" she told him. They began kissing once more as he thrust in and out of her powerfully. She belonged to him. She was demonstrating that by her every response to him.

He groped her buttocks. God her body always feels so good, he thought. Suddenly it was all too much for him. "Sue-Ellen, I can't hold on" he groaned as they made eye contact. "Don't then" she responded breathlessly. She reached down and fondled his balls with both hands. She wanted him to explode inside her, to feel how she had felt just a few minutes earlier. He lost control at her touch and climaxed, groaning loudly as he did so. They giggled as he finally withdrew from her. It wasn't the first time that JR had had sex in his office but it was the first time that he had done it there with his beautiful wife, he pondered as he adjusted his pants. "What would your daddy say if he knew?" Sue-Ellen asked rhetorically as she put her panties back on and pulled down her dress. It felt kind of naughty, in a good way, to have let him have her, in his office, at the heart of the Ewing Building.

As they restored themselves to decency the pizza arrived. Perfect timing, JR thought as he paid the delivery boy and sent him on his way. As he opened the box and offered his wife the first slice his thoughts suddenly turned to the significance of all that had happened that day. There was no way now that Bobby could ever be appointed as President of the company. He had won. JR Ewing had everything and his brother had nothing, he reflected as he tucked heartily into his food.

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 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. I am a proud mummy- my little girl is going to university! : )**


	160. Chapter 161

A house of secrets, that's what I live in, Lucy thought as she surveyed the dinner table. It had been a month since her uncle Bobby had moved out and gone to live at the condo. Nobody had been prepared to tell her a jot about the true circumstances that had led to him leaving. The explanation offered, a fall out between him and JR concerning Ewing Oil, was the biggest load of bull she had ever heard in her life. Her uncles were always in dispute over the business. They thrived on the one-upmanship.

No, there was something much more to it that had caused her younger uncle to go. Something much more serious had sent her grandparents careering out of the house the evening before he left and it involved Sue-Ellen, she determined. Bobby had been banished in all but name and in the immediate aftermath the young girl had picked up on the whispers, the clamming up when she entered the room where her elders were gathered and the anodyne comments about him being too busy to come over for dinner when she asked about him. She had also witnessed how, at times, JR would show flashes of irritation or was it jealousy where Sue-Ellen was concerned? On those occasions he tended to take verbal side-swipes at her which she accepted without argument. During one such incident she had overheard her uncle utter the word "kiss" at which her aunt just sighed and shook her head. At other times the couple seemed perfectly happy though. It was as if something intruded into JR's thoughts every now and again. Afterwards he would be loving and apologetic to his wife. It was all too confusing, she mused.

Tonight was the first time that Bobby had been back. Pam accompanied him, her perception being that her husband had eventually decided to move out of his family home to demonstrate his love and support for her. Bobby realised that he wasn't exactly being fair to the young woman but now that Sue-Ellen thoroughly and demonstrably hated him he might as well attempt to re-kindle the feelings he had for his wife when they had first met. She may not be Sue-Ellen but Pam was lovely and, therefore, he had decided to try to move on and give his marriage another shot.

Lucy watched Sue-Ellen. She was studiously avoiding eye contact with Bobby. Her interactions with Pam and the others was just fine though. Every now and then JR would glower at his brother, unable to disguise his contempt. Her grandma seemed on edge, as if something might be said that would ignite the powder keg that Lucy realised they were all sitting on. Even her granddaddy wasn't his usual self. Never ordinarily short on conversation his contributions appeared stilted and awkward as if he didn't know what to say for the best.

An image flickered into Lucy's mind. The night when she had witnessed Bobby comforting Sue-Ellen out on the veranda after dinner. She cautioned herself against letting her imagination run away with itself once again but this time she was convinced. Something had indeed happened between Bobby and Sue-Ellen, something that still tormented JR, something that had caused her uncle to be thrown off the ranch. She'd been right all along.

She smiled in satisfaction at the realisation. She should have worked it out sooner. All those visits to Sue-Ellen in hospital, such devotion, it wasn't natural, she pondered as she took a bite of her steak. "What's amusing you?" JR asked, more than a hint of irritation in his tone. "Nothing really, Uncle JR" she responded, smiling again much to his annoyance. "I was just thinking of something that happened today at school."

"Oh do tell, honey" Pam urged her. This was going to be fun, Lucy schemed as she quickly collected her thoughts. Miss Ellie shot her a warning glance but her granddaughter's propensity for mischief wasn't going to be quelled this time. "There's a girl in my class. She's very pretty, almost as pretty as I am" she began "and she was seeing a boy in the class two years above us. Oh it was all meant to be true love but today she ditched him for his younger brother and all hell broke loose. The two boys were having a massive fight during recess and she was just standing there looking on quite helplessly! I thought the headmaster was going to have a fit as he broke up the fight!" she laughed.

JR got up, paused, shot his niece the filthiest of looks and walked out. "I'm done, mama. Please excuse me, I have work to do" he announced. That little minx had sussed it out, he fumed as he walked into the den and opened a non-urgent file. "What did I say?" Lucy asked innocently. Sue-Ellen shifted nervously in her seat whilst Bobby stared at his plate. "You talk nonsense, Lucy" her grandfather reprimanded her. "None of us are in the slightest bit interested in petty high school intrigues. Now, don't you have homework to complete? You can have your dessert later."

"I'm sorry granddaddy but Pam did ask" she replied wickedly as she rose from her chair. "Goodnight, Bobby, Pam. It sure was nice to see you. Don't be strangers now" was her parting shot. It was all that Jock could do to prevent him from delivering a short, sharp slap to the girl. However, that would give the game away to Pam, that was unless the truth hadn't already dawned on the young woman.

Pam shrugged her shoulders. "I don't mind Lucy's chatter, Jock" she told him. "In fact I've quite missed it." Miss Ellie made eye contact with her husband. One of them would have to sort their granddaughter out and sharpish, she mused. Her husband read her thoughts. Miss Ellie would be best placed to do so. If it were left to him he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't lose his temper and go somewhat too far. He loved Lucy dearly but the young girl was a born troublemaker, more like her older uncle than she would ever care to admit.

"Teresa, please can you serve dessert?" Miss Ellie asked. "Oh and after that can you take a portion to JR and one up to Lucy?" Teresa smiled and nodded. "Yes ma'am." It was just another convivial family dinner in the Ewing household she thought as she dished up at the sideboard.

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	161. Chapter 162

After an excruciating twenty minutes of attempting to behave normally Sue-Ellen politely excused herself from the dinner table on the ground that she wanted to check on her babies. John Ross would be due his last feed any time soon, she explained. Bobby's eyes followed his sister-in-law as she exited the dining room. Before going upstairs she went into the den where she found her husband. He was drinking bourbon, a file open before him but apparently untouched. "JR" she ventured. "We need to talk." "Not now" he muttered in response. "I have work to do."

She leant over the desk and closed the file abruptly. "No you don't" she advised him. "I've always known that at times you have avoidant tendencies, JR, but we need to talk. What happened this evening with Lucy was significant, not just in terms of her behaviour and how we are going to handle what she will regard as a running joke, but more importantly how you responded to it."

JR rose from his seat and re-filled his glass. He gestured to the drinks cabinet to which Sue-Ellen shook her head. "No thank you." He resumed sitting and stared intently at her. Although he felt angry, conflicted and humiliated her beauty and the way she looked that night struck him. "Go on then" he advised her sternly, his eyes glinting with an angry steel.

Unfazed she carried on. "Upstairs, asleep in the nursery, lie our two children. They represent everything that is good about our marriage, our life together and our love for each other. However, if we don't resolve a particular issue in our relationship it won't be long before the rot sets in and not even they, Ella and John Ross, will keep us together." JR took a large gulp from his glass. He knew where this was going. He allowed her to continue without saying anything in reply.

"The last month hasn't been particularly good for us, has it?" she asked. "We keep coming back to the subject of that kiss and no matter what I say or do it's never good enough for you, is it? I can never seem able to reassure you that as far as I'm concerned there isn't and hasn't ever been anything between Bobby and I." She paused to permit him to speak. "Are you surprised, Sue-Ellen? I find my little brother coming on strong to you and then I discover that you once kissed. How am I meant to feel about that?" he asked her.

"He kissed me! I didn't initiate it and it wasn't mutual" she lied "and right after I told him that he wasn't to do anything like that ever again." JR shook his head. "I don't believe you. Why should I, Sue-Ellen? You have always been a prick-tease! Why should my brother be immune to the way you behave in the presence of men?"

"If I didn't love you, JR, that particular comment would probably have spelt the end for us" she told him calmly. He immediately felt bad but declined to show it. It was almost as if her beauty and the attention she attracted because of it was something negative. However, he had chosen her to be his wife, not least because of the way she looked and his immense physical desire for her. His feelings right now were a source of complete bewilderment to him.

"Why can't you just accept what we have together?" she continued. "A loving marriage, a faithful marriage and an active sex life which until recently has been a total pleasure." "What do you mean until recently?" he asked with more than a hint of irritation. "When we do it these days it's as if you're angry with me" she responded flatly. JR was ever more perplexed. "I thought you liked it rough? How many times have you told me to do it harder?"

Sue-Ellen sighed. "You know exactly what I mean. It's not what you do it's the look on your face when you are doing it. You take your anger and frustration out on me when we have sex. It's different from what we had before and you know it, deep down, don't you?"

She was right. Sex these days would usually follow a pointed, jealous comment or a confrontation about his brother. It was an appeasement on her part when she submitted to him that he took advantage of, every time, but his expression had evidently betrayed him.

He shrugged his shoulders sadly. "What are we going to do? How can we fix this?" Sue-Ellen's obvious relief at his words caused him to feel relieved in turn. She wanted to get their marriage back on track and she wasn't for walking away from him, at least not yet, he mused. "We need to address your jealousy, JR" she replied determinedly. "How?" he asked. "I want you to consider seeing someone, like I did when things were tough for me" she suggested hesitantly. She still maintained a link with her therapist and she knew it did her good to know that Maggie would always be there for her.

She anticipated her husband to be hostile to the idea and when he shook his head she was disappointed. However, his actual response was not entirely negative. "Look darlin, I love you and I will fight for our marriage. I'll be honest though that I'm not sure that I could go through with all that talking. I need time to think before I can commit to going down that road." She reached over and took his hand. "Thank you for not rejecting this outright" she told him.

"And in the meantime?" he enquired. He recognised that they couldn't just carry on as they had been doing. "We need to get away from this house for a little while" she suggested. "What just the two of us?" he asked incredulously. "No, as a family" she informed him. "Where?" "You leave that to me. I have an idea. Do you fancy a little winter sunshine?"

JR smiled, got up from the desk and moved to where she was. "Book it then, honey" he told her, taking her into his arms. As they embraced an all-familiar sound disturbed them. Their son was awake and he was hungry.

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	162. Chapter 163

The limousine turned into a private driveway lined with the most beautiful bushes of tropical flowers. "Look Ella! Lots of pretty flowers" Sue-Ellen told the baby girl. Ella gazed out of the window, transfixed by the bright colours passing by. JR smiled at his daughter. She is so pretty, he thought, just like her mama. His attention then turned to his son who was fast asleep. The journey had been long and arduous for all four of them, particularly the youngest member of their family.

The villa came into view and caused the couple to gasp in delight. It was typically Bajan in design. Double-fronted, pale pink exterior with shuttered windows and a thick trail of pretty, indigenous flowers climbing up and over the front door. The surrounding gardens were immaculately manicured. "Paradise" Sue-Ellen sighed, taking her husband's hand. She had always dreamed of visiting the West Indies and now they were here, their children's presence an added and very welcome bonus.

The front door opened and they were greeted by Charles, the butler. "Mr and Mrs Ewing, welcome!" he greeted them. "Have you had a pleasant journey?" Sue-Ellen shook his hand. "It was fine, just a little tiring with the two young children" she responded. "Of course. You'll be able to get plenty of rest and relaxation here, though. Please, go in. I will fetch your bags."

JR took a still sleeping John Ross inside followed by Sue-Ellen who was holding Ella's hand. "Wow!" Sue-Ellen exclaimed. The interior walls were painted white providing a bright and airy living space. She gazed at the expensive furniture, a collection of toning neutrals set off with a dash of colour from a scatter cushion or an impeccably placed floral arrangement.

They walked to the back of the property and opened the doors. Outside a large swimming pool glistened in the light of the fading sun. Beyond that there was the beach. The colour of the ocean, a vivid blue that they had never seen before, contrasted sharply with the white of the soft, deep sand. The sweet smell of frangipani and bougainvillea wafted across the garden on the back of the warm breeze.

"How did I do? She asked him. "So far, just terrific, honey" he answered, snuggling his son closer to him as the baby stirred in his arms. As they re-entered the house they were met by a middle-aged woman. She was wearing an apron. "Good afternoon, sir, ma'am" she began. "I'm Mabel and I will be your chef for the fortnight. I've prepared a meal for your little girl and then when both of these adorable little ones are settled for the night dinner will be served for you" she told them in an attractive, rich Bajan accent. Sue-Ellen looked at her husband. She had wondered before they came away whether she had gone over the top in her choice of accommodation on the island. On balance, she had concluded that they had more than enough money to afford to rent the villa and pay the staff to justify treating themselves. In any case they deserved it, she thought. The last year had been pretty rough for them what with hers and John Ross's ill health and then all the drama that they had been through over Bobby.

She hadn't needed to be worried about JR's reaction though. He was mightily pleased at everything he had seen and experienced so far. Sue-Ellen had impeccable taste and he was now determined to enjoy every last minute of their two weeks away. For a fleeting second he remembered but then instantaneously dismissed his father's expressed disapproval about him just taking off without as much as a week's notice. It had been his mother who had persuaded the old man that their son and daughter-in-law needed and deserved a break, for their sake and that of their marriage.

"Thank you, Mabel, that all sounds just perfect" Sue-Ellen responded. "There's champagne on ice just over there or would you prefer a glass of rum punch?" the chef asked. "I might try both!" JR joked as he placed John Ross gently into his pushchair and walked over to the ice bucket. "Honey?" Sue-Ellen shook her head. "Not just yet thanks. I need to get the children settled first." At that she picked Ella up and followed Mabel's lead into the spacious kitchen where a beautifully prepared meal of macaroni cheese awaited the little girl.

Glass in hand JR went upstairs to explore. The master bedroom overlooked the ocean. He threw open the huge French windows and walked out onto the balcony. The view over the pool and then out to the beach was stunning. He turned back to inspect the bed. It was a huge affair and, as he sat down on it, he appreciated just how comfortable they both would be in it. He smiled wickedly to himself as he imagined all that they would get up to in here. Just off the master suite he found a cool and airy bedroom that had been furnished as a nursery. He was relieved that their children would be in such close proximity to them at night.

After completing the tour of the first floor- a further three bedrooms, each of which were attractively and individually furnished- he returned downstairs. "Well?" his wife asked. "This is a mighty fine house, darlin, and I'm sure we will be very happy here" he told her, noting her delight at him being pleased by her decision-making concerning the trip.

"Right, I'm going to get Ella ready for bed and then deal with John Ross. He's exhausted but he needs a feed before we put him down for the night" she informed him. "Let me do that" he suggested, lifting his little boy from the pushchair. The action roused the little one who responded by screaming loudly. Sue-Ellen hurried to get the bottle of milk that she had begun to warm gently. Testing it against the inside of her wrist she handed it quickly to JR. Within seconds their son was contentedly feeding. They smiled at each other. All was well again.

An hour later, both children fast asleep in their cots, Sue-Ellen emerged from the bathroom. She had showered and changed into a flowing, white sundress with a low-cut bodice that revealed more than a hint of what lay beneath. If she had been dressed like that in Dallas JR realised that he would probably have reacted jealously and demanded that she change. However, here, where it was only the two of them, his attitude was totally different. She's stunning and sexy and it's all for me, he thought as he watched her fastening the straps of her wedge sandals.

As they came downstairs together dinner was announced. A simple yet elegant table had been set overlooking the pool. Candles lit the entire area. Sue-Ellen was overjoyed by the romance of what awaited them. As they took their seats they were immediately struck by the sound of the crickets chirruping in the darkness. It was surprisingly soothing and served to confirm that they were a long, long way from home.

JR raised his glass to signal a toast. "Here's to us, sugar. I think, no hang on, I know we are going to have a lovely time here" he told her.

Tbc

 **Sorry I haven't posted much this week- work has been manic : )**


	163. Chapter 164

As they ate their dinner JR and Sue-Ellen chatted naturally and flirted with each other gently. It felt as if they had no troubles, that all their problems and issues had been left far behind them back in Dallas. For the first time in ages both of them were completely happy. "You look wonderful tonight, honey. Just delectable and so, so sexy" JR told her, taking her hand in his. Sue-Ellen smiled shyly. She had taken a gamble on the dress because she knew what her husband could be like when she wore something that he felt to be over-revealing.

"You see whenever it's just the two of us you enjoy me looking a little sexy" she told him. "You're perfectly relaxed about it aren't you?" she responded, hoping that her comment might make him open up about his darker feelings where she was concerned. JR nodded. "I'm sorry, sugar. I know what I can be like when you're in the presence of other men. I just can't seem to help myself." "Don't you trust me?" she asked. "You see that's the bizarre part. I do trust you deep down and I know you would never betray me. It's how other men behave when they are around you that I can't stand, the way they look at you and what I know they are thinking about you. It drives me to the point of madness sometimes."

Sue-Ellen patted his hand. "You do appreciate that I would never succumb to any other man's advances don't you?" JR nodded and took a sip of his wine. "Sue-Ellen, I'm gonna level with you. Since Bobby's feelings about you became known I have found it even harder to stop myself from being jealous of you. I mean, my own brother, lusting after you in the way that he has done. All those times when he has helped you onto a horse, put his arm around you, God, thrown you about in the pool! I interpreted his actions as brotherly affection and no more when, in reality, his whole motivation must have been sexual. It makes me feel sick to think about it."

"I know. I've thought about that myself. I've also wondered if I'd done anything that he might think was leading him on but, JR, I am totally convinced that I haven't. I know that I played you when we were going out together but that was because I wanted to keep you interested, to get you to propose to me, because I loved you. I also recognise that since we have been married I have sometimes used sex as a bargaining chip to force you to respond in the way that I wanted. However, I know that I have never behaved inappropriately towards your brother. You do believe me don't you?"

She gazed at him expectantly. "Yes I do. If you had my mama would have noticed it. Her exoneration of you was absolute and complete." Sue-Ellen breathed a sigh of relief. "You've been thinking about this a lot haven't you?" He nodded. "I've thought of nothing else." "Only a couple of weeks ago you were full of recrimination towards me. It was almost as if you blamed me and not your brother." "I know. I was wrong. I want to make it up to you, darlin, I really do."

"You will. Right here, on vacation, where it's just us and our children" she told him as she leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met gently. "Come on, let's go up. I'm not promising anything tonight because I'm absolutely exhausted. You'll probably get lucky early in the morning though" she told him, taking his hand.

Back in Dallas Jock, Miss Ellie and Lucy were gathered at the dinner table. "Wonder what JR and Sue-Ellen are up to in Barbados?" Lucy asked. "Well probably the same as us" her grandmother replied. Lucy smirked wickedly. "They sure took off on vacation quickly" she commented. "They needed a break" Jock replied sternly. "After dinner you and I are going to have a little talk, young lady" Miss Ellie advised her. Jock gave his wife a meaningful look that indicated that it was about time. The table descended into silence. Lucy knew that she was going to have a strip torn off her and, although she wasn't looking forward to it, she realised that it was merited. In the days that led up to her uncle and aunt taking off on vacation she had exploited every opportunity she could to needle the adults in the household. She just couldn't help it even though Sue-Ellen, who had always been kind to her, didn't deserve it at all.

After dinner Miss Ellie followed Lucy up to her bedroom. "I have a ton of homework, grandma. Can't out little chat wait until tomorrow?" she asked. "No, Lucy, it can't" came the reply. No harm in trying, the young girl thought as she entered her room and plonked herself down on the bed.

"Go on then, grandma. Let's get it over with. I know I'm in trouble." "You are, young lady, but it's way more complicated than you think" Miss Ellie began. "In fact, families are very complicated, your situation being a prime example. Now, something has happened between your uncles and you know full well what I'm referring to don't you?" "Bobby fancies Sue-Ellen doesn't he?" Lucy asked. "You see, grandma, I was right all along wasn't I? I was even grounded for two weeks for saying so at the time."

Miss Ellie nodded. "I know and I'm sorry for that but this is important, Lucy. You've been giving your uncle JR and aunt Sue-Ellen a hard time recently and they don't deserve it. It's been affecting their marriage and the last thing that you would want is for Sue-Ellen to leave here taking your cousins with her, isn't it?" Lucy shook her head. "Yes, grandma. I'd hate that. I'm sorry, I truly am." "There's another reason why the gibes have to stop- Pamela. You love Pam don't you?" "Yes she's great." "She knows nothing about this. If she did she would never give your uncle Bobby another chance. Do you understand?" "Yes grandma" the young girl replied remorsefully. "So you'll never tell will you?" Lucy shook her head vigorously. Miss Ellie kissed her cheek. "Good girl. Now you'd better get on with that homework."

Lucy opened her text book and reached for her pencil case. A house of secrets, that's what she lived in, she thought as she read through the first question.

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	164. Chapter 165

For a second he didn't know where he was. Instead of the harsh winter grey of mornings at Southfork the bedroom was flooded with warm sunlight. It almost hurt his eyes with its intensity. Then he remembered. They were on vacation in Barbados. Exhausted from their journey he and Sue-Ellen had only kissed for a minute or two last night before falling into a deep sleep. He looked up at the ceiling fan which revolved silently providing much-needed cool air and tuned in to the sound of birdsong outside.

He reached out to his wife. She wasn't there. "Sue-Ellen?" he called out to her. She came in carrying their son, Ella toddling along behind them. "Good morning daddy" she greeted him. "Dada!" Ella repeated holding her arms outstretched to him to be picked up. He lifted his daughter and placed her alongside him, pausing to inhale the scent of her hair and deliver a gentle kiss to her cheek. "What time is it?" he asked, still groggy from the night before. "Half past six" Sue-Ellen responded. "When I got up to see to these two you were dead to the world." "Uh huh" he replied, handing Ella a small embroidered decorative cushion that adorned the bed. "Look Ella. All those pretty colours" he told her as he watched the child trace her fingers over the pattern.

"They need breakfast" Sue-Ellen told him. John Ross was getting restless, spitting out his soother to indicate to his parents that he needed nourishment. JR got out of bed and scooped Ella up into his arms. "Come on sweetheart, let's see what we can find you to eat" he told her.

They didn't need to worry. Between them Mabel and Charles already had breakfast in hand. Some of the visitors to the villa preferred to sleep in late. However, Mabel was aware that with two such young children the new guests would be likely to be up shortly after dawn and she felt vindicated to see that she had been right.

After "good morning" greetings and solicitous enquiries about how they had slept Mabel showed them to the table. "John Ross needs a bottle" Sue-Ellen told her. "I hope you don't mind ma'am but I took one that you had put in the refrigerator last night and started warming it. I guessed that the little fella would wake up very hungry" Mabel replied. "I'll go and get it now." Sue-Ellen breathed a sigh of relief. It would be seconds only before her young son was screaming the house down for his feed. All that fuss would be avoided by the presence of mind of the friendly and efficient staff.

JR offered Ella fruit and yogurt from the sideboard. He had become quite adept these days at choosing the food his daughter liked and then feeding it to her. Sue-Ellen noted the peace and tranquillity of the place. It was in marked contrast to the hectic, rushed atmosphere that epitomised weekday breakfasts at Southfork.

"What shall we do this morning?" JR asked. "Let's just relax by the pool" she responded. "Ella will probably enjoy playing on the beach as well." "Alright then" he answered, taking a bite of the omelette that he had ordered a few minutes earlier. It felt strange, albeit in a good way, to have nothing to do. Whenever they went to the Lake House he would bring work with him. On this vacation he hadn't brought any upon the clearest insistence from his wife.

When they were done they went upstairs to wash and change. JR watched Sue-Ellen put on a deep red bathing suit. It was cut low at the front and back and high at the legs. She looked amazing in it. He took hold of her hand and pulled her towards him. "Great suit, Sue-Ellen. Did you buy that especially for this trip?" She nodded, pleased by his compliment. "Don't worry, though. I shan't be wearing this at home. My mother would have a fit if she saw me in this!" she told him. Subjectively he was with her mother however, from an objective standpoint, he realised that there was no reason why a beautiful young woman like his wife shouldn't wear what was obviously a fashionable, designer bathing suit. Although she had quite a bit of flesh on display it was by no means indecent, just very sexy, he mused. The problem lay with him, he realised. If only he could lighten up a little they could be even happier than they were now.

Sue-Ellen was filled with sudden doubts about her choice of swimwear. She didn't want JR to become all insecure on their first full day on vacation. "I can change it if you want, JR" she suggested. "No, no honey, don't" he told her firmly. "This is my issue not yours. You should be able to wear anything you like. I just have to get used to it. It's not right for me to dictate to you just because it prompts irrational feelings about us." He let one of his hands fall from her waist to her buttocks. He patted her gently to which she responded with a deep kiss. It was the first time that he had actually acknowledged his problem without prompting. There's hope for us, Sue-Ellen felt as she permitted him to carry on fondling and embracing her.

By the time they had come downstairs the breakfast things had been cleared away and Mabel and Charles had retreated discreetly from the main living area and garden. They had long since learned that their guests needed privacy and had organised their work duties accordingly.

Iced jugs of water, juice and rum punch had been placed on the table and the sunbeds had been covered in thick towels. A swim ring for each of the babies had been left poolside. Everything had been thought about to ensure that the young family enjoyed themselves and had everything they needed. Sue-Ellen was delighted.

Ella jumped up and down in clumsy excitement as her mother put the swim ring on her. "Careful now, sweetie pie" she warned the little girl, giggling at the same time. John Ross was asleep in his pushchair under the shade. As Ella and her parents entered the water Sue-Ellen felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

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	165. Chapter 166

With their babies fast asleep upstairs JR and Sue-Ellen had part of the afternoon alone together. "Come here, sugar" he told her, beckoning her over to his sun lounger. The warmth of the sunshine and the relaxed atmosphere at the villa had made him feel amorous. He watched as she walked slowly towards him. She had changed into another new bathing suit which looked just as good on her as the first one, he thought as he stared at her.

She straddled the lounger and sat down, her long, lithe legs each side of him. "What do you want to do while Ella and John Ross are asleep?" she asked him. He winked at her and drew her closer to him. "Give me kiss. That would be a decent start" he told her. She placed one hand at the back of his neck, leant in and then brushed her lips against his seductively before pulling back. He knew she was playing hard to get, just like she had done when they were going out together, but this time he knew he was going to get her because she wanted it just as much as he did.

"Let's go in the water" she suggested. JR looked at her quizzically. "In the pool?" he asked. "No, let's go down to the ocean" she replied, getting up before he could attempt to restrain her. "Well?" she asked as she pushed her flip flops on "are you coming for a swim?" JR got up and followed her. He watched as her hips swayed in that inimitable way she had about her. "Nice view" he told her as they reached the gate that led straight onto the beach. The ambiguity of the comment made her giggle.

The beach was deserted. They looked one way and then the other. There was nobody but them on the stretch of coastline that extended beyond the villa in both directions. She kicked off her footwear and entered the water. As she got to just below waist height she called back to him. "It's so warm, JR, no shock factor at all" she informed him as she took her first dive into the serene blue waters. She emerged gracefully several seconds later, pushing her hair away from her face, her swimsuit clinging to her toned yet curvaceous body.

She waved to him. "Come on then if you want some fun" she shouted. He did not need any further persuasion. When he had waded out to her he took her in his arms and began to kiss her. Their kisses started out slow and sensuous but quickly turned to passion. He lifted her up which caused her to wrap her legs around him. She could feel his erection against her body. He waded slightly further out into the water with her, their lips still locked together.

Suddenly he was filled with doubt. He broke from their kiss. "Honey, I'm not sure we should do it like this" he told her. She looked all around her before replying. "Nonsense. There's nobody around for miles and the staff at the villa can't see us. Wade out a bit further, JR, I want you and I want you now."

Despite his reservations he wanted her too. It was exciting to be enjoying his wife's body in such a public setting. He wondered how many couples had done likewise over the years and concluded that many would probably have succumbed to the romance of the location and the feel of the warm water lapping against their bodies.

They began to kiss again. "You are good and hard" she whispered to him. "Do it" she ordered, moving her hand down the front of his shorts in order to free him. He shuddered at her touch. She had developed a real talent for making him feel good, he thought, as he firmly groped her breasts under her bathing suit in response.

He held her around the waist with one hand and with the other moved her swimsuit to one side. She gasped as he pushed himself inside her. "Yes, JR!" she told him breathlessly as he began to thrust, slowly at first and then more urgently. As the rapidity of his movement increased he found it difficult to hold on. He quickly withdrew and began to use his finger instead while he recovered his sense of composure. When he was ready he took her again. She squealed in response to him being back inside her. "Come for me, sugar" he panted. He wasn't going to last much longer, he realised. He was too excited. He withdrew once more and then re-entered her. That was enough to make her rapidly tighten against him and then climax. "JR! Oh yes! Don't stop!" she moaned.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to carry on, not wanting to disappoint her, but the fact was that he was on the edge. When he was sure that her orgasm had passed he let himself go. "Mmm, so good honey, you are so good" he told her as he came.

They giggled like teenagers as they uncoupled. "That felt so bad, naughty I mean" JR told her. "Yes it sure did" she responded as she made to swim back to the shore. "I love you, Sue-Ellen" he called out to her. She blew him a kiss and mouthed the same in reply before making her way back to the shore. This is one great vacation, he thought as he broke into a front crawl.

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	166. Chapter 167

Their days on the island merged blissfully into each other. Any reservations that JR had before he travelled concerning being bored or missing work he was delighted to discover hadn't come to pass. The reality was that when he was with his family, away from Southfork, he was at his happiest. In the privacy of their villa and its grounds he revelled in playing with his two young children. Ella was at a stage in her development where she needed a huge amount of attention and entertainment. It might not have been in keeping with his public persona but JR enjoyed whirling her around in the pool and making sandcastles on the beach which the little girl would mischievously knock down, much to the mock surprise of her daddy.

As they sat on the sand JR pondered on how things in his life had turned out. He had been desperate for a son as his first-born child and he had felt a twinge of disappointment at first to be told that he and Sue-Ellen had a girl. However, it hadn't taken more than a second for him to fall in love with his adorable little daughter when he first saw her. She was a mini-sized replica of her mama save for those bright blue eyes that he had contributed, he thought, as he tried in vain to prevent her putting sand in her mouth.

Then there was John Ross, sitting contentedly on his mother's knee watching his daddy and sister play. Whereas Ella was inquisitive and sparky in her ever-developing personality his baby son was more placid in temperament. A mama's boy, JR thought as he watched Sue-Ellen talking to him in a gentle tone. He hoped that his boy would not be too laid-back or soft in the future. John Ross was needed, at Ewing Oil, where he would be expected to be as tough and ruthless as his daddy. JR resolved to ensure that at an appropriate point in his son's life he would do just as his father had done with him and teach him the business. Seeing John Ross snuggle into his mama he determined that his introduction to the business would wait a lot longer than it had done for him though. John Ross needed his mother and he wasn't going to break the strong bond that existed between the two of them. That had happened to him at a tender age and he knew just how much it had emotionally and psychologically damaged him. He didn't want that for his boy.

Nights at the villa had proved to be just as enjoyable as the days. This was the time when he and his wife got to be alone together. Dinner would be served and the staff would withdraw to their quarters in a bungalow in the grounds. They had the villa to themselves and could do whatever they pleased. And oh how Sue-Ellen had kept him pleased. Sitting out on the veranda she would flirt gently with him over dinner, hinting at what would lie in store once they went upstairs.

Sue-Ellen always took a pride in her appearance but she did look particularly good in the series of subtly sexy sundresses and high wedge heeled sandals that she had brought with her. Her skin, now lightly tanned, was glowing and she looked as relaxed as he knew she felt.

The sex had been nothing short of amazing, he mused as he stared at his young wife. Whether it was the warm sunshine or the atmosphere at the villa the couple had taken delight in enjoying each other's bodies frequently and in many different ways. Sometimes it was gentle and tender in quality. At others it was fast, intense and passionate. Each time, no matter what they had done or how they had done it, it was mutually loving.

He reflected for a second or two about his skirt-chasing days, times when he thought he was enjoying the life of an eligible bachelor. Although he had known that those days would inevitably have to come to an end he had worried about settling down. The idea of living with the same woman for the rest of his life, like his father had done, felt alien to him notwithstanding the fact that he had bagged an absolute beauty in Sue-Ellen to whom he was powerfully attracted.

The reality though, much to his astonishment, was that, so far, married life had been much easier to adhere to than he had imagined. Yes, he could still admire a pretty girl with a voluptuous figure but these days he had no wish to take matters any further than just looking. In any case nobody was a match for Sue-Ellen in his eyes.

He resolved to try to put his jealousy of her behind him. It was irrational, bordering on insane, at times and it had led him to treat her badly. He realised it had the capacity to push her away from him and that was the last thing that he would ever want given the way he felt about her.

"Let's go inside, JR. These two need an afternoon nap. Otherwise they are going to be very grumpy later" Sue-Ellen suggested, intruding into his thoughts. JR picked Ella up in response to which the little girl began to cry in protest. He lifted her onto his shoulders which had the desired effect of quelling her upset as he jogged slowly along the beach with her.

As they were putting the children into their cots the telephone rang. Assuming that one of the staff would answer the call they initially ignored it and continued to settle the little ones. The telephone continued, persistently, to ring.

Sue-Ellen picked up the receiver. "Hello?" Within seconds her expression had changed as she listened intently to the caller. Trembling she handed it over to JR. "JR, it's your mama. There's been an accident. Your daddy is missing, presumed dead" the woman wept.

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 **Thank you for all the really nice reviews. I hope the end of this chapter doesn't come as too much of a shock to the regular readers- I felt like there needed to be more drama and less happiness for JR and SE! : )**


	167. Chapter 168

His head was swimming, a mix of grief, shock and bewilderment. How was it that they could go from a state of total happiness to the other end of the spectrum with such rapidity? He wondered as he struggled to fight the tears. Sue-Ellen knew her husband. He was frozen. She would have to take control, she decided, even though the news had been almost equally devastating to her as it had been to him.

"I'm going to speak to the staff. We need to pack and get to the airport as quickly as possible" she told him, touching his arm gently. "Wait a minute, Sue-Ellen?" he asked. He took her in his arms and buried his head into her shoulder. He immediately dissolved into tears on her. She stroked the back of his head with her hand and bit her lip. She had to remain strong for him and their children. They held each other until JR's sobs subsided. He couldn't believe that he had reacted in the manner he had. He had to be strong, he thought. There was his wife and children to think of, not to mention his mother.

JR stood on the landing as his wife took the stairs. Within seconds of informing the staff what had happened and of the fact that a private jet was waiting for them at the airport Mabel and Charles sprang into action, pulling out their suitcases and beginning the process of packing for the young family. "Mrs Ewing, you take care of your husband" Mabel told her. "We can manage here."

JR wandered aimlessly down the stairs. He needed to be with his wife. She held her hand out to him to sit with her. "Do you want a drink?" she asked. "A brandy may steady your nerves" she suggested. He nodded his head and watched as she stood up and made her way over to the drinks cabinet. She poured him a large measure and returned. She handed him the glass and watched as he took his first slug, his hands still shaking.

"JR, what did your mama say about the accident?" she asked. The conversation had been so rushed she hadn't really got the sense of what had actually occurred. "Daddy's helicopter went down as he was on his way back from visiting one of our oil fields" he told her. "There was only him and the pilot on board. The pilot's body has been found but not daddy's." "Are there search parties out?" JR nodded. "Yes, but hope is fading as time goes on. My mama sounded totally desolate." "We have to hold onto the hope, the fact that they haven't found him yet" she replied, instantly realising that what she had just uttered had been crass and hollow. Not even a man as strong as Jock Ewing could survive a helicopter crash, she thought with a profound sense of sadness. Her father-in-law, the head of the family, was gone and the months that lay ahead for them all were going to be very hard.

She took JR's hand and squeezed it, a sign of reassurance that she was there for him and loved him. He smiled weakly. "Thank God I have you, Sue-Ellen" he told her taking another large gulp of spirit. "Always" she responded. She wanted to go and check on the progress that was being made upstairs but instinct told her she needed to remain with her husband. She reached for her bag and began checking that she had all of their passports. She reflected sadly on the fact that their dream vacation had been brought to such a shocking, premature end. They had been having such a wonderful time together. She and JR had been so close, she thought. She hadn't wanted to go home and she certainly had never envisaged having to return to Dallas under such dreadful circumstances.

JR got up and poured himself another measure. The effect of the alcohol was slowly dulling his pain. His stomach lurched as he contemplated his father's final seconds. He knew, deep down, that his daddy was dead. He shuddered and felt sick at the thought. "Come on, we need to change" his wife suggested. By the time they had gone upstairs the packing was all but done. Mabel and Charles discreetly retreated to enable them to get ready. "I will prepare some bottles and something for you and Ella to eat on your journey" Mabel told them. "Thank you both" Sue-Ellen responded. "You've both been very good to us."

Half an hour later they were on their way, speeding through the streets of Bridgetown towards the airport. Ella was unsettled. Her parents were trying their best to keep it together but the little girl could sense that there was something wrong and, in turn, it was upsetting her. "What's the matter with her?" JR asked anxiously as he shifted his daughter's position on his knee. "I think she's picking up on the atmosphere between us. She can tell we are sad." Sue-Ellen passed him the child's pacifier and was relieved to see her gradually calm down as she sucked on it.

The limo took them right up to the jet, clearance having been given for the flight to go immediately. They boarded hurriedly. Neither of them knew exactly what awaited them back home but they needed to be there. As the aircraft began to taxi towards the runway Sue-Ellen's thoughts turned to Miss Ellie and Lucy. Her mother-in-law worshipped Jock, that was clear. She imagined herself in Miss Ellie's position and felt her heart pang in sympathy for the woman. As for Lucy, a child who had already experienced so much loss in her young life, she couldn't imagine how the young girl, the apple of her grandfather's eye, was feeling right now.

As the plane climbed into the sky she stared at her husband. Cuddling his now sleeping baby daughter he was weeping silently.

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	168. Chapter 169

They entered the house in silence, each carrying a sleeping infant. Raoul and Teresa relieved them of their burden and took the children upstairs. Sue-Ellen had made them ready for bed as their jet began its descent into Dallas. If the staff were careful they would be able to place Ella and John Ross in their respective cots without waking them.

JR quickly dried his eyes before making his way into the living room. He had cried almost continuously since he had left Barbados. Sue-Ellen had managed to hang on for all their sakes but something told her it wouldn't last once they returned home.

The family were all gathered. Miss Ellie, her face streaked with tears, was sitting in Jock's usual armchair. Pam and Lucy were cuddled up together on the sofa. Only Bobby remained standing. Although he knew how JR and Sue-Ellen felt about him he was relieved to see them back.

"Thank God you are home!" Miss Ellie cried. In her agony she had kept imagining that something bad was also going to happen to them. JR walked over and took his mother's hand. Kissing her cheek gently he asked for any news. Miss Ellie shook her head. "Nothing, JR. The search party has been called off for the night. It became much too dark for them out there."

Sue-Ellen joined her sister-in-law and niece. An occasional sob was let out by the young girl. "You're exhausted, Lucy" Sue-Ellen told her "why don't you go up to bed?" "I don't want to" Lucy replied. "I'd rather be here with the rest of the family." Sue-Ellen put her arm around the girl's other shoulder, the three young females clinging to each other for solace.

JR poured himself a drink and gestured to the family did they want to join him? He could usually hold his liquor but his stomach was empty and he had consumed a fair amount on board the jet. He was now beginning to look a little worse for wear. Sue-Ellen shook her head. She would have to help him to bed at this rate and, for that, she needed to be sober.

Bobby approached his brother with a palpable degree of circumspection. "What are we gonna do?" he asked. JR shrugged his shoulders. Now wasn't the time for any backbiting, no matter how he felt about his younger brother. Even Pam's presence didn't rile him. He was just too sad to feel anything much for his brother and sister-in-law right now.

"I'll tell you what we are going to do" Miss Ellie responded. "You are both your father's sons. You're Ewings and Ewing men are strong. You will look after the company and protect this family until your daddy is found. The vultures are already circling, waiting to gain whatever advantage they can from what has happened. More than ever we need you both to be as robust as you can. Do you understand?"

"Yes mama" her sons replied meekly. Sue-Ellen looked over to JR. Normally he was strong, particularly in the face of adversity, but this had crushed him and she wasn't sure that he would be able to perform the task his mother had set him. She then stared at Bobby. Bobby's expression betrayed him. He too was full of doubts. He hadn't anything like the business experience of his father and JR. Then there was the whole sorry mess he had got into with his brother over Sue-Ellen. Would JR be able to place that to one side for the sake of the company? He wondered.

"We all need to go to bed and try to get some sleep" Sue-Ellen suggested. "No, I'm going to stay down here for a little longer" her husband replied. He intended to drink himself into oblivion. "No, JR, Sue-Ellen's right. You have your children to think of as well. They have no appreciation of what has occurred and their needs tomorrow will be no different from any other day" his mother told him. One by one they began to make their way upstairs. JR poured another large drink before following Sue-Ellen up to their bedroom.

He paused as he passed the nursery and looked at his sleeping children. His daddy had been so proud of his grandchildren, especially John Ross. What a tragedy that he would not get the chance to see them both grow up, he thought as the tears began to well in his eyes once more.

Entering the bedroom, he found his wife already undressed. She was removing her make-up. Her huge, hazel eyes, which ordinarily lit up the room, darkened and then pooled. She was losing it and couldn't stop herself. He made his way to her, gently turned her to him and took her in his arms. Her body shook as she dissolved into tears. "I'm sorry, JR" she told him between sobs. "There, there. We'll be fine, Sue-Ellen, as long as we have each other."

It was heart-breaking to see her like this, he thought, as he held her in a tight embrace. When her sorrow had subsided he guided her into bed, quickly removed his own clothes and joined her. He took her in his arms. He didn't want to let her go. He needed her. She and his children were the only ones who could get him through this, he reflected, as the effect of the drink and the travel made him drift off to a fitful and nightmare- filled sleep.

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	169. Chapter 170

JR opened his eyes. For a second or two everything appeared normal but then it hit him and a wave of sadness washed over him. His father was almost certainly dead. He had to face it if he was ever going to muster the strength to do as his mama had told him the night before. He turned to Sue-Ellen. She was sleeping soundly having been up several times in the night with Ella and John Ross. Their routines had been thrown off kilter by the sudden, arduous journey they had to take and both of them had been rather unsettled. Sue-Ellen wanted to take the burden off her husband, not that he had been in much fit state to tend to his children given the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

Alcohol- JR was tempted to go and get a drink. However, the combination of his sense of family duty and a thick head told him that it would not be a good idea. He watched Sue-Ellen sleep. She always looked so beautiful in sleep, the picture of serenity, he thought as he stared at the rise and fall of her breasts under her negligee.

He felt bereft. He needed something, something to make him feel better, but couldn't identify what. Then he knew. He needed his wife. He traced the outline of her nightgown with his finger gently. Her lightly tanned skin was, as ever, warm and soft to the touch. She stirred slightly and moaned softly as he continued to touch her. He slipped one of the straps down from her shoulder and looked at her exposed breast before using his fingers to play with her nipple which hardened immediately in response. He knew he wasn't being fair to her but it didn't matter. It was all about what he wanted and needed- the form of physical contact that he enjoyed best, that calmed and assuaged him and made him happy, at least temporarily.

"JR?" she groaned in response to his increasing touch. "Please, Sue-Ellen" he told her as she began to wake properly "just let me. I want you. I need you, sugar." He kissed her and was pleased by her response. She wasn't totally rejecting of the idea of them making love, he appreciated as she returned his kiss and put her arms around his neck.

Secretly she was confused. How could he want sex at a time like this? Then she remembered something her therapist had told her. Maggie had opined that JR used sex as a way of regulating his emotions. It was true. How many times in their marriage, particularly of late, had he wanted sex to make him feel better about himself and their relationship?

She rolled onto her back and let him go on top of her. He didn't want to rut her. He wanted to be tender and gentle, to feel comfort from her in the most intimate of ways. Twenty minutes later, flushed from his exertions, he was done. "Did that make you feel better?" Sue-Ellen asked him. JR nodded his head but said nothing. He looked care worn but strangely young, like a little boy lost, she thought as she gazed at him.

She made to get up. Their babies would be awake any minute. She was exhausted but, more than that, sad. Entering the nursery, she encountered Pam. The young woman was gazing at her nephew and niece who remained asleep. She had been crying. "Pam?" "Good morning, Sue-Ellen, I guessed you might need a hand." "Are you okay?" "Not really. It's Bobby. You see before what happened to Jock we were getting on very well but last night his attitude towards me changed. He just seemed irritated by everything I said or did. He's pushing me away in his grief and I don't know what to do."

Sue-Ellen sighed. "People have different ways of coping, Pam. In fact, JR has just well…." She suddenly felt embarrassed. Pam looked at her and raised an eyebrow. What was Sue-Ellen hinting at? "He's just wanted us to… and I've let him. It's as if he found it comforting, at least for a time" she explained. Part of Pam wished her husband would have wanted to make love to her rather than react with annoyance to every effort she made to help him. "You need to be careful, Sue-Ellen, you don't want to risk another pregnancy do you?" she asked. Sue-Ellen shook her head. "All taken care of, this time" she replied.

"He's not coming back, Jock I mean, is he?" They looked at each other sadly. Sue-Ellen shook her head. It would be nothing short of a miracle for her father-in-law to be found alive. "I'm worried about Miss Ellie, Sue-Ellen. She's kind of living in hope that they will find him. I mean, what she said last night, it's not exactly being realistic is it?"

"I agree. There's Ewing Oil but then this place to consider as well. I'm not sure that it will be easy to keep everything going, especially when there is so much grief. You know, I always felt like Jock was sort of, I don't know, invincible."

"I know what you mean. I never really thought this day would come." "Whatever happens, Pam, I don't want to lose our friendship. I've been thinking and it's likely that there will be a huge tussle between our husbands for control of the company. We can't let that affect us though." Pam patted her sister-in-law's hand. "It won't."

Their attention was diverted by John Ross who had begun stirring in his cot. Instinctively he started to cry, motivated by hunger and a need for attention. As Sue-Ellen lifted him up he was pacified. "I'll take him. Can you take Ella please?" she asked. "Sure." As they made their way downstairs with the two babies they were greeted by the sight of the sheriff.

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	170. Chapter 171

The sheriff took off his Stetson as he saw the two young women coming downstairs. "Good morning, ladies" he told them. "I'm here to see your mother-in-law." "Is there any news?" Pam asked. He shook his head. "I'm sorry." At that Miss Ellie emerged from the kitchen. She had been keeping herself busy and her mind occupied with the preparation of breakfast.

"Sheriff, have you found him?" she asked, prompting immediate concern on the part of her daughters-in-law. "No, Mrs Ewing, I'm afraid we haven't. My men went out again at dawn. I sent a couple of divers as well. It gives me no pleasure to tell you this but the divers found the chopper. It was at the bottom of the lake. There was no sign of your husband though." "I don't understand" Miss Ellie cried. "You found the pilot and now the helicopter. Why can't you find Jock?" "We reckon that the pilot must have been thrown from the helicopter just before it hit the water. Either that or he threw himself out."

"Well, have you looked properly? I mean the whole surrounding area? My husband is a strong man, a survivor. He could be lying somewhere injured!" The sheriff cleared his throat before responding. "We've scoured the area, Mrs Ewing. I hate to have to say this but the extreme likelihood is that Mr Ewing's body is in the lake. It's so dark down there and the bottom is like quicksand…" "No! I won't accept it. My husband is alive. Tell you what- I'll send the ranch hands to search for him. They'll find him. You'll see."

Sue-Ellen and Pam looked worriedly at each other. John Ross was becoming restless in his mama's arms. They needed to close down what was now descending into a circular and unhelpful discussion. "Thank you for keeping us informed, Sheriff" Sue-Ellen told the officer. "As you can appreciate this is just a terrible time for us all." "Yes of course, Mrs Ewing. I am so dreadfully sorry." The man retreated towards the door, relieved to be getting out of there. This was the one aspect of the job that he hated.

"Why won't anyone believe me?" Miss Ellie cried. "I know Jock. He escaped that crash. We have to do something." "Let's try and eat some breakfast first" Pam suggested. "These two little ones need feeding." Miss Ellie sighed and then nodded. She wasn't going to just give up though. She was determined to find her husband, to find him injured but alive, for that is what she had convinced herself of overnight.

The three women entered the kitchen. Sue-Ellen launched into what was now a much-practised routine with her children. Following her lead Pam assisted. Miss Ellie poured them all coffee, sat down and looked on sadly whilst her grandchildren were being fed. "You don't think he's gone, do you?" she asked breaking up the gentle interactions that her daughters-in-law were having with Ella and John Ross. Pam glanced at Sue-Ellen. They would have to tread carefully.

Sue-Ellen responded first. "I don't want to believe that Jock has been killed, Miss Ellie, I really don't, but if what the Sheriff says is right then hope is fading isn't it?" "I disagree" her mother-in-law replied sternly. "The longer he isn't found, the better as far as I am concerned. If he had died they would have found his body by now."

Sue-Ellen didn't attempt to respond. No point, she thought. "And you, Pam?" Miss Ellie asked. "We have to accept what the Sheriff has said about the depth of the lake and the sandy bottom, don't we?" she suggested. "We don't want to think the worst, Miss Ellie, truly we don't but we have to live in the real world don't we?"

"I'm accepting nothing until I know for sure, Pam" Miss Ellie countered, taking a sip of her coffee. The kitchen descended once more into sad silence, punctuated only now and then by a gurgle or squeal from one of the babies.

They were joined by Bobby and then JR. JR opened a cupboard and took out some painkillers. His hangover wasn't subsiding by itself. He greeted his children and sat down. He had no appetite for food. Bobby served himself a small amount of scrambled egg which he then proceeded to push around his plate. Sue-Ellen and Pam shot warning glances at their respective husbands and nodded in the direction of their mother.

Miss Ellie began to explain what the Sheriff had told her. "It's nonsense, isn't it boys?" she asked, desperate for some reassurance, for someone to validate her view. Her sons didn't answer. "I'm going to arrange for Ray and the other ranch hands to go there and search for your daddy themselves. "No, mama. If anyone goes over there it should be us, his sons" he told her. "Ray can come with us." JR stared into space. The last thing he wanted was to find his father's body. He knew that his daddy was dead. He could feel it. Bobby was just appeasing their mother. "Will you? Will you both?" their mama asked, a sense of urgency in her tone. Her sons nodded.

Sue-Ellen looked pleadingly at JR, willing him to say something to his mother, to be realistic. He didn't speak. "Pam, let's get the children dressed" Sue-Ellen announced. Life had to go on, no matter how difficult things were. "Ella, give your grandma a kiss." The little girl leaned down from her mother's arms and offered her grandmother an open-mouthed, babyish kiss. As Miss Ellie pecked the child on the lips she dissolved into tears. "I just want him home!" she cried. "Here with the rest of his family!"

Pam and Sue-Ellen quickly left the room. They didn't want the children to become distressed. "Grandma is just missing granddaddy, that's all sweetie" Sue-Ellen told her daughter. Pam turned to her. "This is just awful, Sue-Ellen."

Tbc


	171. Chapter 172

It had been three weeks since JR and Bobby had returned from the crash site. They hadn't found Jock but Bobby had retrieved the gold lion's head talisman that Miss Ellie had bought for her husband on one of their more significant anniversaries from the water. It was over. Jock Ewing was gone and never coming back, the two brothers concluded tearfully. At first JR hadn't wanted to show the talisman to his mother. Miss Ellie's thoughts and feelings had been so erratic following the crash and he was afraid that the development might disturb her even further. It was Bobby who had persuaded them all that it had to be done, for his mama's sake and all of theirs as well.

Bobby, supported by the others, did the deed. It sent his mother into a deep depression which showed no sign of lifting. "There's the legal side of what's happened to consider, JR" Bobby told his brother over dinner, their mother notably absent, lying in bed upstairs. "I've spoken to Harv. We need to get mama to apply to the court for a declaration that daddy was killed in the accident. That then leads to the will being able to be read." JR shook his head. "There's no way that mama is fit to deal with that process yet" he answered sadly.

It had been so hard on the two of them to keep things going at Ewing Oil as the vultures from the Cartel, Weststar and even the Kay brothers, egged on by Cliff, began circling. Predictions of disaster for the company were strongly and firmly rebutted by the two brothers but the reality was that certain decisions just couldn't be taken until the will had been read and the new ownership of the company confirmed. They were treading water in the meantime and their competitors were wasting no time in seizing the advantage. They both knew it.

JR was far from over the issue between himself and Bobby concerning Sue-Ellen. However, for the time being, in the interests of the company, he was obliged to set that to one side and permit his brother to be involved. He didn't particularly like it but he had to agree that to the outside world they appeared stronger together.

The two men retreated from the table and went into the den. There was a meeting with their bank manager tomorrow at which they needed to have an agreed strategy if they were to stand any chance of having their line of credit temporarily extended.

Lucy kissed her aunts and went upstairs, leaving Sue-Ellen and Pamela alone at the table. "Let's take our coffee in the living room" Sue-Ellen suggested. She wanted to speak to her sister-in-law in private and now she had the opportunity.

"This is so hard, Pam" she began as they took their seats. Pamela nodded. "The last few weeks have been hell haven't they?" she responded. "I'm worried about Miss Ellie. She's not getting over this. If anything she's getting worse." "I know. Then there's Lucy to consider. The poor girl is floundering without her grandmother's support. I'm trying as hard as I can to keep her going but it's difficult when I have my own two to care for as well."

"Uh huh" Pam sighed. "How are things between you and JR?" "They're alright. Well, to be honest, I'm exhausted with his demands. When he's not at work he just wants it all the time. He'll want it tonight as soon as we go to bed. I love him and I don't want to refuse him though, especially if it's his way of dealing with how he's feeling right now. And you? Bobby I mean?"

Pam shook her head. "Not great. He continues to reject me. The other night I asked him if he'd fallen out of love with me. He denied it but then refused to talk any further. It's so depressing being pushed away all the time." "I told you when you were first married that it's not easy being a Ewing wife, didn't I? Now look at the pair of us. This state of paralysis where the family, the company, everything is concerned can't go on forever though. Can it?"

Pam shook her head. "I don't know. Sue-Ellen, I'm considering leaving again. I'm so unhappy" she told her tearfully.

"Oh no! Please don't, Pam. I need you. I won't manage without your support and Miss Ellie and Lucy would be devastated as well. It would be like another bereavement for them." Touched by the vehemence of her sister-in-law's response Pam patted Sue-Ellen's hand. "I won't do anything rash then. I just wish things would improve. I'm going up now. Goodnight." She kissed Sue-Ellen's cheek. "If I were you I'd go up too and then pretend to be asleep when JR comes up" she giggled ruefully. What a bizarre situation the two women were in, she thought.

"I'll give it five minutes and then come up" Sue-Ellen told her. She was tempted to do as Pam had suggested but there was something much more pressing to be done. Hearing Pam's bedroom door close she got up and entered the den. JR and Bobby looked up at her. "Sue-Ellen?" JR asked. "We need to talk- the three of us I mean." "Not now, honey." "Oh yes, now, before Pam calls time on her marriage forever. It's true! She's contemplating leaving you, Bobby, and then where will the family be?"

Tbc

 **Thank you for all the reviews and ideas. I do enjoy reading them : )**


	172. Chapter 173

Sue-Ellen moved closer to JR. Folding her arms determinedly she began. "This family is disintegrating and I do not exaggerate when I say that." "Hang on there, Sue-Ellen. We're still entitled to be in grief" JR responded, a hint of exasperation in his tone. She didn't understand what his daddy meant to him, he thought.

"Oh yes, the expression of grief but not where Pam and I are concerned. You don't appreciate just how much we miss your father too but then Pam and I aren't Ewings, not really. We just have to get on with it, apparently." JR harrumphed and made to reply but was beaten to it by his brother. "That's not entirely fair" Bobby interjected. "No, Bobby. I'll tell you what's not fair and that's the way you treat your wife. You brought her back here ostensibly to make a go of your marriage and then all you have done is reject her. That's the way she feels. I've had to persuade her to remain at Southfork this evening. Oh yes, she was all for leaving and who could blame her?" "Let her go, sugar. She'll be doing us a favour in the longer term. You make sure that you keep your eyes off my wife though, Bobby" JR growled. Sue-Ellen shot her husband a dirty look.

"You ran off and married her, knowing who she was, and brought her here. Her time in this house was nothing short of miserable. Can you imagine for one minute how difficult it must have been for her to come back? To support you in your time of need?"

Bobby sighed and shook his head. "No you don't because you only care about yourself. Look at the mess we are all in! There's your mother barely able to function, bed-bound and no sign yet of her pulling through. What about Lucy? She has no parental support but is vulnerable and needy. Oh and finally, JR, there's your children. You seem to have forgotten about Ella and John Ross. They need their daddy. Alright, I acknowledge how hard it is for the two of you to keep Ewing Oil going right now but Ewing Oil isn't the be all and end all. Where family life is concerned it's been Pamela and I who have had to shoulder the burden, place our personal sadness behind us and just try to push through. Where I'm concerned, although I am exhausted, I'm prepared to carry on because I have investment in my marriage and my children but what's in it for Pam?"

Her final words touched JR. He smiled at her and took her hand. He knew that he had been using her as a crutch and also that he had been neglecting his children in order to focus on the business, albeit that he wasn't going to admit it in the presence of Bobby. He didn't need to because Sue-Ellen already had it all worked out.

"Is that it? Marriage guidance from the former Miss Texas?" Bobby asked angrily. "Call it what you like, Bobby, but it's the truth. If you want to continue to be married to Pam you are going to have to change your ways." "What do you want, little brother, apart from my wife?" JR asked. Bobby shook his head. "That ship has sailed. I don't want Sue-Ellen. I don't know what I want right now. No, hold on, yes I do. I wish that you two hadn't gone off for that second honeymoon!"

"What do you mean?" his sister-in-law demanded. "You both know perfectly well what I mean!" Sue-Ellen gasped as she realised what he was implying. If she hadn't taken JR to Barbados it would in all likelihood have been her husband rather than Jock who had gone down in the chopper. Bobby would have preferred his brother to be dead. Before she could condemn him JR swung his fist and made contact with Bobby's eye, sending him flying across the desk. "You bastard! I knew all along that's what you were thinking. Oh and I imagine that with me gone that would have left the field wide open for you and Sue-Ellen? An altogether perfect arrangement in your sick and twisted world. Sue-Ellen's right, even the Barnes woman doesn't deserve to be married to you!" JR shouted.

Bobby stood back up and ran at JR, fists flying. Sue-Ellen tried to get between them but was sent to the floor which only incensed JR further. The two brothers were in a full-on, vicious fight. Suddenly the door flew open. "Stop! Immediately!" Miss Ellie was standing there in her nightgown. She entered the room and helped Sue-Ellen to her feet. "How dare you both behave this way in my house and especially at this time! Sue-Ellen are you alright?" Sue-Ellen nodded breathlessly. Until her mother-in-law's appearance she had believed that JR would be killed. He was never a match physically for his younger brother.

JR began to speak but was cut short by his mother. "I don't want to know what happened here but I will say something. I realise that I need to take charge of this family now that your father is gone. I haven't been dealing with his death very well to date but from now on I know I have to be stronger. I'm considering what legal action I need to take for the process of dealing with your daddy's assets to begin. One thing is clear though. The two of you cannot work together. Whatever my share I will be voting for Ewing Oil to be sold!"

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	173. Chapter 174

"Let's not be precipitate, mama" JR replied. He had been pole-axed by his mother's suggestion that Ewing Oil, the empire built so successfully by his daddy, the family company, should just be sold to the highest bidder. Miss Ellie shook her head. "No, JR, my mind's made up. This family is in real trouble and you and your brother fighting all the time is at the heart of it. I may not be able to resolve one massive source of conflict but I can remove another." She gave Sue-Ellen a meaningful glance, inviting support from her. She didn't get it.

"Miss Ellie, none of this is JR's fault" Sue-Ellen began. "Whose is it then, Sue-Ellen? Was JR not brawling with Bobby just now?" Sue-Ellen stared at her brother-in-law. "Bobby's the one to blame. I came in here to speak to him about his marriage. I was met with resistance and then he said what he said."

"Mama" Bobby intervened. Miss Ellie glared at him. "What was it that he said?" Sue-Ellen sighed. "He let us know that he wished it had been JR who'd gone down with the helicopter and not Jock." Miss Ellie took a sharp intake of breath. "Did you, Bobby? Did you wish your brother dead?" Bobby nodded his head. "Yes mama, I might as well be honest. It would have been better for all of us."

"Oh no, Bobby. You would prefer Ella and John Ross, two innocent infants, to be fatherless?" she asked incredulously. Bobby made no reply. "Oh I understand now! Of course you would have preferred it to be JR! Sue-Ellen would have then been a widow! You sicken me, Bobby. Get out of my sight! Oh and before you do make sure you sort out your marriage, one way or the other. Sue-Ellen is right. Pam doesn't deserve such shabby treatment."

Bobby turned and exited the room. "Well it's completely clear now. The two of you cannot run the company together. I was right. It will have to go." Miss Ellie told JR and Sue-Ellen. "Mama!" JR protested. Sue-Ellen took his arm. "Leave it, JR. Let's all sleep on it. Emotions are running way too high to discuss this any further now" she advised him. "Good night, Miss Ellie." Miss Ellie nodded and watched them leave the room.

Sighing sadly, she sat down behind the desk in her late husband's chair. Time to pull yourself together, Ellie, she told herself. The family is in disarray, in need of direction. Only she could save them as matriarchal head but to do that she had to set aside her grief. She reflected on what Bobby had said to JR and Sue-Ellen and cringed. The schism between the two brothers could not be wider. As much as she hated to admit it, Sue-Ellen was right. For once, the situation wasn't JR's fault. She got up and walked to the kitchen. Her mind was in turmoil. There was only one thing for it- a cup of tea.

Closing the bedroom door behind them JR caught Sue-Ellen in a strong embrace and began kissing her. After all that had happened he wanted her, no he needed her. She responded to him quickly, locking her arms around his neck to draw him closer. There was no point in resisting him, not when she knew that this was his way of dealing with his sadness and worry.

He lay her gently down on the bed and carried on kissing her. He momentarily drew away from her. He wanted to look at her and to work out how to remove her dress. She flashed him an encouraging smile. Suddenly and without warning he sat up and placed his head in his hands. "What are we going to do, Sue-Ellen?" he asked, his eyes brimming with tears.

Sue-Ellen sat up and put her hand on his shoulder. She remained silent. She knew he needed to talk. "This is such a dysfunctional household and now mama is on about selling the company. She can't mean it can she?" "No, JR. I'm sure it was a knee-jerk response to what she had witnessed. She'll change her mind" she reassured him. "In any case your mother has only one vote. Bobby won't agree to a sale." "No, but Gary will. If she can find him. He'd do anything his mama says" JR responded anxiously. Sue-Ellen stroked the back of his neck soothingly. He was like a little boy lost. She didn't often see him like this but when she did it affected her powerfully.

"What would I do without you, darlin?" he asked tearfully. "You're never going to have to do without me. I love you and all I want to do is help you." "Mama's right though. I can't work alongside Bobby long term. We've managed so far because all we have been doing is fire-fighting. When considered decisions come to be taken how can there be co-operation between us?"

Sue-Ellen shook her head. "Phew! I don't know. I suppose I just thought that you would have overall control as President, JR. What are you going to do?" "There is no President appointed in daddy's will. I've seen a copy. I was going to set about persuading him to promise the appointment to me once he retired. That's gone now. I'm going to have to destroy Bobby, aren't I? Force him out once and for all. More conflict I suppose."

"Shall we get ready for bed?" Sue-Ellen asked. "Just stand up and remove that dress for me, sugar. It'll cheer me up." He watched as she began to undo the buttons. "Very nice" he growled lasciviously as she permitted the dress to fall to the floor. "Now come here and really cheer me up" he commanded extending his hand to her. If that was what he needed she was going to give it to him, she thought as she lay back down beside him.

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	174. Chapter 175

Sue-Ellen looked around the room as the family assembled and took their seats. The declaration from the Texas Court that John Ross Ewing I was dead had been made three days ago. Jock's will was about to be read. Miss Ellie, still shattered by the loss of her husband but stronger than she had been at first, was sitting on the sofa with Lucy. Hands in her lap, she wore a solemn yet determined expression.

On her other side was Gary. It had taken three different private investigators before Miss Ellie could locate him, such was his success at covering his tracks. Gary had mixed feelings about being back at Southfork. He'd been saddened to learn of his father's death and wanted nothing more than to support his mama. However, JR was a major inhibiting factor and, as soon as this was over, he intended on leaving again. Not that he had informed his mother. That would have to wait until later.

Sue-Ellen observed her brother-in-law closely. It was the first time she had ever met him, he having been notably absent from her wedding. He was handsome, nothing like JR or Bobby though. He looked like his mama, a Southworth rather than a Ewing. No wonder he was Miss Ellie's favourite, she mused. It wasn't only his physical appearance that was different though. Gary lacked that unerring air of confidence instilled into JR and Bobby as youngsters. He appeared shy and unsure of himself in the short conversation she had had with him.

She turned her gaze on Bobby and Pam and reflected on what a rough few weeks her sister-in-law had experienced since Bobby and JR had fought in the den. Pam had been told the same lie as Lucy about the debacle. JR and Bobby had disagreed about business once again and, in true Ewing style, it had become physical she had been informed. The young woman was exhausted by the constant conflict, Sue-Ellen could see it in her eyes, although she rarely complained, preferring to concentrate on her career and helping with her nephew and niece.

Bobby also had the appearance of being worn down. Life at Ewing Oil was hard. JR was constantly down on him over the most trivial of decisions to be taken. It was his way of dealing with all that had occurred between them and, in usual JR fashion, he dished his revenge savagely.

Finally, there was her husband. She took her seat on the arm of his usual chair. He looked sad but, more than that, anxious. Miss Ellie hadn't dropped the idea of selling Ewing Oil. However, JR knew what his daddy's will contained and his and Bobby's respective percentage shares should hold his mother off, that is if his little brother voted with him to retain the company. Sue-Ellen placed her hand on JR's shoulder as a sign of reassurance that all would be well. He looked up and smiled at her. She had been his rock and he loved her more than ever.

Raoul showed Harv Smithfield in. Miss Ellie gestured for him to take a seat and offered him a cup of coffee. "No thank you, Miss Ellie. I'd rather get to the task in hand" he responded as he opened his briefcase.

Clearing his throat the elderly lawyer began.

"This is the last will and testament of John Ross Ewing the First. It revokes all previous wills. To my three sons I leave the sum of $10 million subject to one caveat and that is that the sum granted to my son, Gary, shall be held in trust for him until his life is adjudged to be settled. My wife Eleanor Ewing and my attorney, Harvey Smithfield, shall be the sole trustees." Harv paused. Gary shook his head. Where he had been concerned his father had always had the knack of giving with one hand whilst taking away with the other. It was no different even in death, he thought.

"To each of my grandchildren, I leave the sum of $5 million to be held on trust until they respectively attain the age of 21. Eleanor Ewing and Harvey Smithfield shall be the sole trustees. The balance of my estate, with the exception of the company known as Ewing Oil, shall go to my wife, Eleanor Ewing.

In respect of the company known as Ewing Oil I leave and bequeath as follows. To my sons, John Ross Ewing the Second and Robert James Ewing I grant 30% ownership each on the proviso that John Ross Ewing shall be appointed as President of the company and Robert James Ewing as Vice President."

Sue-Ellen smiled broadly at JR. JR smiled back on the pretext that he hadn't known all along what his father's decision had been.

Harv continued. "To my son Gary and my wife, Eleanor, I grant 20% ownership to each of them so that each of them will share in all future profit that the company shall make. All of the bequests concerning the company are conditional and the condition is this- nobody shall have the authority to dispose of his or her share to anyone other than a member of the Ewing family, absolutely and in perpetuity.

That is the end of Jock's will."

JR made to stand. "That's it. It's over" he announced. "Not quite…" Harv interjected. "Three months ago Jock produced a codicil to the will. It has been duly witnessed and, therefore, is to be read alongside the will itself. JR sat back down. This was a true surprise.

Harv opened the single sheet of paper and began to read aloud. "In recent times my family has been in turmoil. I have watched in a state of despair as my two sons, Bobby and JR, have been at each other's throats. When I am gone I realise that it will be extremely difficult for the two of them to work in harmony at Ewing Oil at all times. It is therefore, for that reason, that Eleanor Ewing and Gary Ewing shall have equal voting rights in the company, albeit that they have been granted a lower percentage of the stock of the company. In the event that Gary cannot be located Eleanor Ewing shall be entitled to vote for him as proxy. This is to ensure that any dispute concerning any aspect of the running of the company is resolved democratically, fairly and in the overall interests of the Ewing family."

Miss Ellie sighed and then spoke. "Alright then, I propose a vote right now- that Ewing Oil be sold to the highest bidder."

Tbc

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. Sorry I haven't posted much this last week. I've had writer's block for this story and so did the short one-shots instead to inspire me. I've nabbed quite a bit of this chapter from the episode in the show when Jock's will was read but hope I've managed to put my own twist on it was well. : )**


	175. Chapter 176

"Now just hold on there, please, mama. Daddy's will has only just been read and you want to dispose of the company already?" JR interjected. "Yes I do, JR. Your father was right when he referred to the constant conflict between you and Bobby. It's unrealistic in my opinion to expect the pair of you to work openly and collaboratively at Ewing Oil. It simply won't work" his mother responded. "In any case it isn't as if the two of you couldn't set up new companies with your share of the proceeds, companies that you each run the way you want without having to see and speak to each other every day."

"Well, all that may be true but to get rid of daddy's legacy, everything he worked so hard for, all that he provided for us? Mama, please don't be serious about this! Daddy must be turning in his grave!" "I'm more than serious, JR."

Bobby then waded into the debate. "It's not often I stand with JR but mama you're making a big mistake here." "I repeat, Bobby, I vote sell" she told him sternly. "Gary?" "I'm with you mama" the young man replied. "Oh what a surprise!" JR tutted. "You have dollar signs flashing in your eyes, Gary. Twenty per cent of the net worth of a company you haven't had a minute's involvement in and not tied up away from your reach in a trust. Which bar are you thinking of heading to first to celebrate such a massive windfall?"

"Enough, JR" Miss Ellie commanded. "Gary has been given a vote and he is entitled to use it, however he thinks best." "You seem to forget that JR and I have sixty per cent ownership of the company. Therefore, sixty trumps forty" Bobby replied. "I'm sorry, Bobby, but it doesn't work that way" Harv advised. "The codicil is explicit in its terms. The four of you each have an equal vote. It's therefore fifty/fifty. In other words, you are at stalemate."

"What happens next then?" JR asked angrily. This situation was most unexpected. Had his father truly not envisaged such a scenario, particularly where his mother and feckless brother were concerned? "The court would have to determine whether or not the company should be dissolved" the lawyer told them. It was privileged information that Harv couldn't disclose but at the time he had used his best endeavours to dissuade Jock from organising the voting shares as he had done. However, in his true style, Jock had remained stubbornly determined that his way was best.

Sue-Ellen and Pam looked at one another. This was a nightmare for their respective husbands, pitted against their mother and brother in what was bound to be a bitterly contested civil lawsuit. Lucy sat in silence. The young girl was thoroughly bewildered but her instinct told her that the situation would not be a good one for her family. She observed the expressions on the faces of the attendant adults. There was steely determination in her grandmother's eyes countered by palpable anger on the part of her uncles. Her daddy appeared cowed by the robustness of his brothers' response. However, it was the anxious look adopted by both her young aunts that disturbed the young girl the most. Since her grandfather's accident Pam and Sue-Ellen had stepped in and mothered her. They had shielded her as best they could from the fall-out of her grandma's grief, grief that had paralysed her emotional availability to the young girl and, for that, she would always owe them her gratitude. What if the two young couples decided to leave? She wondered. Where would she be then? "Excuse me please" she said as she stood up and exited the room. She was obviously on the verge of tears.

"See what you have done, mama, Gary!" JR told Miss Ellie as he watched Lucy go upstairs. "Lucy's upset!" "Upset with whom?" his mother asked with annoyance. "Lucy has been exposed to so much in this family lately. What her father and I are doing is to limit future damage to the poor child and to limit what your two children would undoubtedly witness if the pair of you are left unchecked I might add."

"Come on, Sue-Ellen. Let's get Ella and John Ross ready to go out. I can't stand another minute in this house" JR announced in response. Sue-Ellen stood up and wordlessly followed JR out of the living room. "Pamela, let's go too. Don't expect us to be back early, mama. We may even stay in town." Miss Ellie sighed as she made to show Harv to the door. "I am doing the right thing aren't I?" she asked the lawyer. "It's not for me to say, Miss Ellie. My firm has acted for years for Ewing Oil. It's better that I adopt a totally neutral stance about its future" he told her.

"So you wouldn't represent me and Gary?" Miss Ellie asked. Harv shook his head. "Both sides will need totally independent representation in this matter to avoid any conflict of interest arising. Good day, Miss Ellie. My condolences once more for your loss." As she closed the door Miss Ellie suddenly felt afraid. JR and Bobby were powerful adversaries and, what was more, they were united on the issue. How ironic, she mused sadly. Was she really doing the right thing? She asked herself as she made her way back to the living room.

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	176. Chapter 177

For a while they walked in silence. JR's was a brooding presence, full of pent up frustration and anger. Sue-Ellen realised that it wasn't directed at her. She just needed to let him calm down and then do what she knew he did best- formulate a plan. She gazed down at her children in their double pushchair. Ella enjoyed a walk in the park. There was always something for the inquisitive little girl to look at. At some point she would let her little girl out, to allow her some freedom and burn off some childish energy. She would do that when they arrived at the duck pond which was where they were currently heading, she decided. Ella loved feeding the ducks. Sue-Ellen had had the foresight to make sure she grabbed a few slices of bread from the kitchen before they left.

John Ross was fast asleep. He looked so cosy and trouble free, wrapped up warm against the cold, she thought. He would wake up soon and need a bottle. As ever his mama had made sure that he had everything he needed in her baby bag.

JR sighed. It was his way of signalling that he wanted to talk. Sue-Ellen knew him. "JR?" she asked. "I don't know what to do, Sue-Ellen" were his opening words. "You always know what to do, JR. You always manage to figure things out, eventually" she reassured him. "Not this time, honey. I'm all at sea" he responded sadly. "Your mama might change her mind, especially if she thinks there's a risk of losing us and Bobby and Pam from her life." He shook his head. "No, Sue-Ellen. You see that's the thing about my mother. Once she has made up her mind she never goes back. I believe it was the most frustrating aspect of her character to my daddy, her stubbornness. God I miss my daddy but I'm angry with him for failing to foresee the consequences of that damned codicil!"

Sue-Ellen nodded her head. "Well then it appears you have two options. Give in and let the company be sold, in which case you will start again on your own, or fight your mother and Gary in court. For that to happen, though, you and Bobby would be obliged to work together and put the past behind you." "I'm not giving in and I don't imagine Bobby would either. I'm gonna be straight with you, Sue-Ellen. If we go into court the Judge is going to want to know what lay behind that codicil, what caused my daddy to speak about the intolerable levels of conflict between my little brother and I."

"Your mama would never disclose what happened would she?" Sue-Ellen asked, horrified at the prospect of the publicity. "Can you imagine? The press would have a field day with some sort of concocted love triangle story!" "Sue-Ellen, she would be on oath. She would be obliged to answer any and all questions put to her. Now can you see why I'm concerned?"

They continued walking. Silence descended once more. JR knew he had worried her but if he couldn't offload his worries to his wife then who could he to? He patted her hand gently. He hated to see her upset. When they arrived at the pond Sue-Ellen untied the safety straps and lifted Ella from the pushchair. The little girl squealed in delight as she watched the ducks swimming over, expectant upon being fed. "You have to hold mama's hand nice and tight near the water, sweetie" she told her daughter. "Daddy will give you some bread to throw." JR went into the bag and began handing chunks of bread to Ella which she clumsily threw into the water. The little girl giggled as she watched the ducks squabble over the food.

Such an innocent scene, Sue-Ellen mused as she encouraged her little girl not to eat the lump of bread that her daddy had just handed to her, not that it would do any real harm other than spoil her evening meal. Right now they just seemed like any other normal young couple with their children. So far away from the complications and conflict that accompanied being married into the Ewing family, she thought.

When the bread had been exhausted they began walking again, this time with Ella toddling along in front of her parents. "I love you, JR" Sue-Ellen told him. She just felt for a split second that she needed to let him know. "I know and I love you too. You have been, well, just amazingly supportive of me at such a hard time and I do appreciate it, honey." "It may sound trite, JR, but as long as we have each other and our children we can work everything else out. I mean, so what? The press runs a short-lived scandal story about the Ewings. We can tough that out. It's happened before. I don't care what anybody else thinks. We know the truth and that's all that matters, isn't it?"

"You forget, Sue-Ellen. What about your sister-in-law, your friend, Pamela?" he asked. "Oh no! Pam can't find out can she?" "Why not? It would serve a purpose. My daddy never wanted her to be a part of the family, not really."

"No, JR. That wouldn't be right. A court case in which the truth had to be told would definitely spell the end for Bobby and Pam. It would be so cruel!" she cried. How could she have overlooked the position of dear Pam? Suddenly, JR was inspired. "Darlin, I think I have a plan. You are just going to have to trust me. Oh and no, it won't involve Pamela but if it goes right it will give my mama and Gary one massive headache!"

tbc


	177. Chapter 178

The atmosphere at dinner was tense. Long periods of silence were punctuated now and again by snide remarks from JR about what a happy family they all were, how they had become united in their grief for his daddy and were all pulling together at a difficult time. Sue-Ellen kicked his leg lightly to try to make him stop. He wasn't going to because this was the precursor to his plan and, if the look on Gary's face was anything to go by, he was going to prevail.

Miss Ellie tried her best not to rise to her eldest son's sarcasm. It will only make things worse if she engaged in a slanging match with him, she thought as she pushed her food around the plate. She wasn't the only one without an appetite. With the exception of JR who ate heartily the others around the table picked at their dinner.

When they were done Gary announced that he was going to take a short walk. He had planned to tell his mother that he was leaving right after Jock's will had been read but after what happened afterwards he hadn't the heart to do it. He felt trapped, stifled even. Dinner had only served to confirm to him that his memories of life at Southfork had been valid and not been exaggerated by him over time. Gary hated conflict. He had never as a boy been able to deal with confrontation and always ran away from it. He knew it was a source of immense irritation to his father who had thrived and succeeded because of his fearlessness where his enemies were concerned.

JR spied his opportunity and followed Gary out of the house, remaining silent as he pursued him. When they were both out of earshot JR caught up with his younger brother. "Say Gary, has it been enjoyable coming home?" he asked wickedly. Gary shook his head. "I'm in no mood to talk, JR" he responded. "Oh I don't want to converse with you. I just want you to listen to the stark reality of what you would be facing if you continue to support the sale of Ewing Oil" JR began. He intended on pushing every button where Gary was concerned.

"You see, I intend to tie you and mama up in litigation for many, many years if you go through with it. I will instruct the finest commercial lawyers to make every application and take every legal point possible. You'll never be away from court, Gary. Leaving here will be impossible and that's what you really want isn't it, to get out again, but you haven't had the guts to tell mama yet, have you?"

Gary stopped walking and stared at JR. "I am going to inform mama. She will have my proxy vote though to carry on fighting you and Bobby." "Oh you're not going to do that, Gary. I know you and I know mama. She will react so badly to any suggestion of you leaving her to deal with Bobby and me on her own that you'll not go through with it. You're stuck here and you'll be that way for years, years of conflict, battles fought and lost, because you do appreciate how serious I am about this, don't you? Oh and one more thing- how long do you think it will be before I send you straight back to the bottle once I really get going? Just a matter of weeks I reckon."

Gary could see the determination in JR's eyes. He wished he could be stronger, more like his brothers, but he knew he wasn't. He was weak, a drifter who could never stay in one place for long. The notion of having to remain at Southfork while the litigation took its interminable course was nightmarish to him. He thought briefly about his daughter. Really he should remain at Southfork for her sake but she didn't need him, he concluded. She needed his mother and her two young aunts, the people who cared for her day to day.

"Just tell her, Gary. Tell mama you've changed your mind. Oh and if you do I'll give you $100,000, a leaving gift if you like." "You are despicable, JR." "Yes I am and that's why you believe everything I have said. I'm not handing Ewing Oil to anybody for any price."

Gary walked away from JR, back in the direction of the house. He wasn't going to tell his mother that night but he would do so in the morning, he decided. He knew he was going to break Miss Ellie's heart but there was no way he could stay here. JR would make his life a misery once more and, this time, he would no longer have the support of Bobby to keep him strong. He had been sober for over a year now but JR was right, this fight would drive him right back to the drink again. It was only a matter of time, he reflected sadly. No, he had to get out, back on the road again. He wasn't going to take the money JR had offered, though. He would make his own way, as he had done for years. A knot tightened in his stomach as he entered the house. Immediately after breakfast he would break the bad news to his mama and Lucy. It was all over. JR had won once again.

tbc


	178. Chapter 179

JR joined Sue Ellen in bed. Leaning over her to kiss her goodnight he first smiled wickedly. "JR?" she questioned him. Only a few hours ago he had been so low, she pondered as he flashed that well-known smile once more. "I had a little chat with Gary after dinner" he told her. "Something tells me, darlin, that his vote to sell the company is going to change by the morning." "What did you say to him?" Sue Ellen felt uncomfortable. Gary wasn't a bad person, misguided and perhaps overly loyal to his mother, but not the sort who deserved to be treated badly, she thought. She loved JR but she knew all too well what he was capable of when challenged.

"Oh I just pointed out the reality of what being involved in a fight over the future of the company would entail. I did him a favour because he certainly hadn't worked it out for himself. He was always a somewhat simple soul, my middle brother. Now come here. I want tonight to end really positively" he told her as he made to lift her nightgown over her head. Sue Ellen was tired but she knew she would give in to him. She could never resist him.

In Bobby's and Pam's room the atmosphere couldn't have been more different. "I'm playing devil's advocate here, Bobby, but what if it turned out to be a good thing for Ewing Oil to be sold and for you to start again with your share of the proceeds?" Pam asked him. Bobby sighed and shook his head. "You have no idea do you, Pam? Not a clue about how hard my daddy worked to build up that company so that generations to come could carry it on and ensure the future prosperity of the family. No, for once I'm with JR on this one. If mama and Gary want a fight they can have it. It's not what daddy would have wanted."

"What about what I want, Bobby? Or, more pertinently, what we as a married couple need?" Pam countered. "Not this again! Marriage isn't a bed of roses, you have to realise that. I've had a tough time in more ways than one recently. My daddy has gone, yours hasn't. Why can't you just give me a little bit of space?" he asked angrily.

"Space! There's never been a bigger divide between us! You push me away at every turn. Say what you like about JR, who has also been grieving, but he hasn't treated his wife the way that you have! I want a baby with you, Bobby, but that's not going to happen at this rate is it?" "I'm going to bed. I'm too exhausted to continue this conversation" he responded, turning away from her to make his way into the bathroom. Pam sat down on the edge of the bed and began to cry quietly. It was hopeless, she felt. Her marriage was disintegrating by the day and it seemed that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Miss Ellie watched her son Gary push his breakfast around his plate. He wore an air of sadness, as if he was weary with life. Perhaps he was, she mused. Gary had never had it easy. Whilst she adored her son and had always had the most in common with him, Gary had never fitted in with the rest of the family. Jock had been disappointed by his gentle, reflective nature. To him, Gary resembled his maternal grandfather, a dreamer and, ultimately, a loser. JR had never got on with his younger brother. To JR, Gary was an irrelevance, not even the source of a bit of healthy competition for the future control of Ewing Oil. Bobby, being the youngest, had always just done his own thing. Bobby's outgoing and charismatic personality had overshadowed Gary's and his close relationship with their daddy had only served to distance Jock even further from his second born son.

"Mama, we need to talk, in private" Gary told Miss Ellie as he handed his almost untouched plate to Teresa. JR stared at him pointedly, a reminder of all that had been discussed the night before. "We'll leave you to it" he announced, pulling Sue Ellen's chair out for her. "I'm going into the office. Sue Ellen, why don't you bring the children into town for lunch?" Sue Ellen smiled and nodded. "Excuse me" she said as he took her leave.

"Time for school, Lucy" Miss Ellie told her. The young girl kissed her father and her grandmother goodbye, picked up her bag and left the house. As he watched her leave Gary felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He wouldn't be there when she got back, abandoned by him once again. She might hate him for it, he considered, but the truth was he just couldn't stay and to prolong matters would only make it all the worse when he did go.

"Well, what is it Gary?" Miss Ellie enquired once they were all alone. "Mama, I hate to have to say this but I haven't the stomach for the fight over Ewing Oil. I love you, mama, and I love Lucy but I have to leave. I just can't stay here" he announced, almost tripping over his words as they tumbled forth.

"No Gary! You can't mean it! You can't just leave me, not now!" Miss Ellie cried. She knew from the look in his eyes that he was determined though. He had appeared just the same when he left before. Gary shook his head. "I'm sorry, mama. I never wanted to hurt you. I thought long and hard about coming back here but I felt I had to, for your sake and to show my respect for daddy. It was a mistake. Witnessing all that happened yesterday only served to confirm for me that I can't live in this house. I can't take all the conflict. I worked so hard to become sober but I just know that if I stay it would be only a matter of time before I fell off the wagon again. JR knows that too."

"Oh I should have known! JR got at you didn't he?" Miss Ellie asked tearfully. "Yes and no. He just told the truth- that he would make my life a misery over the company. He was right. You know it and so do I. I can never be a match for him and, mama, where business is concerned neither can you. He and Bobby will win but the family won't. It will be in tatters. I'll keep in touch. I'll write. I'm sorry, mama. Please can you tell Lucy I'm sorry too?"

With that Gary left the room. His bag was already packed. He left Southfork just like the last time, sadly and with the bare minimum in terms of luggage. He didn't know where he was going to go but it needed to be a long way from Texas. California might be good, he mused, as he hitched a lift into Dallas from one of the ranch hands.

Tbc

 **I'm sorry I haven't updated this story for ages. Work has been manically busy and I have been too tired to write when I get home in the evenings. I'm going to post another couple of chapters but then go on holiday for two weeks so there is going to be a gap again. Thank you so much for reading and commenting : )**


	179. Chapter 180

JR took the afternoon off to be with his wife and children. "Let's go shopping" he suggested, much to Sue Ellen's surprise. "What for? These two only have a limited attention span where shops are concerned" she told him as he pulled out her chair for her. They had just had a delicious lunch in an upmarket yet child-friendly restaurant near to the Ewing Building.

"I want to get you something, to say how grateful I am for all your support, honey." "JR, I don't need anything. I will always be by your side. I love you" she responded as she took Ella out of her highchair. John Ross was already asleep in the pushchair. "I insist. Now what is it to be? Jewellery or a fur perhaps?" Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Let's window shop and I can decide, seeing as you're insistent." "Yes I am, come on darlin. You deserve something nice."

Sue Ellen was puzzled by the epically good mood JR was in. She had also been perplexed that morning by the absence of Miss Ellie and Gary from the house once she had come down from attending to the children in the nursery. She had asked the staff where they both were but Teresa and Raoul were none the wiser. Perhaps they had gone to the stables? she mused as she took out some toys for Ella to play with. She was right about her mother-in-law but not about her brother-in-law. Miss Ellie always took solace in the horses. She'd done so from being a young child. After Gary had left she had fled in tears to the stables. Never had she felt more alone than now.

Gary's departure had been low-key in the extreme. Only Miss Ellie and the ranch hand that he had begged a lift from knew of his departure. Gary figured, selfishly, that it was better that way.

There was still no sign of Miss Ellie when Sue Ellen and the children left the house to join JR in town for lunch. She didn't mention any of this to her husband but her instinct told her all was not well and JR's mood simply added to her disquiet. As they wandered along the streets of Dallas's best shopping district Sue Ellen decided to put her worry to the back of her mind. JR's air of confidence and cheerful mood must mean that things are alright, she pondered as she tried to take an interest in the content of the shop windows.

They stopped at Cartier. Staring into the window JR found what he had in mind for her. A white gold, diamond studded bracelet looked just perfect. "Come on in here. I want you to try on something" he told her. The assistants stood to attention as they opened the door for Mr and Mrs Ewing. They had served JR a number of times before, the last being when he had bought a pair of exquisite diamond stud earrings for Sue Ellen for their anniversary. There was commission to be gained by whoever happened to have the opportunity to serve them. They were greeted by the store manager. "Mr Ewing, it's a pleasure to see you again. Mrs Ewing, what lovely children!" she began obsequiously. "Now what can we show you?"

"The white gold and diamond bracelet in the window. Can my wife try it on please?" "Certainly. Heidi, please fetch it. It's called a Love Bracelet. It was designed in New York and we think they may become iconic pieces in the future." Using the accompanying screw-driver the bracelet was placed on Sue Ellen's wrist. "Ahh, JR. It's exquisite!" Sue Ellen exclaimed as she watched the diamonds sparkle under the store lights. "We'll take it" JR announced. "Mrs Ewing will wear it now. No need to wrap it."

As they exited the store Sue Ellen thanked JR with an impetuous kiss. Suddenly, however, she felt conflicted. "JR, something weird happened this morning at home. Your mother and Gary were both gone when I came down with the children. Did it have anything to do with your chat with Gary last night?" "Probably. Honey, things might be a bit rough when we get home. I suspect Gary has left and mama isn't going to be one bit pleased but she'll get over it, in time" he told her, patting her hand for reassurance. Secretly he was delighted and if Bobby had any sense he would be too.

Sue Ellen pulled away from him. "Is that what this is?" she asked, looking down at her wrist. "Your attempt to buy my support? Because you didn't need to. You always have my support. Why did you have to drive Gary away though? Why couldn't you have let the litigation take its course? You and Bobby were bound to win. At least then Miss Ellie and Gary would have had a fair fight?"

"Oh now come on darlin, this nonsense had to end as quickly as possible. Yes, I could have tied the pair of them up for years but what would have happened to the company? Bobby and I would have been stymied. No progress or growth would have been made in the meantime and that's without considering how vulnerable the company would have become. Sue Ellen, I have done this for us and for them" he told her forcefully as he looked down at his children. Sue Ellen looked doubtful but realised he had a point. "Alright then but your mama is going to be real upset when we get back and I expect you to behave with circumspection." "I promise, Sue Ellen. I won't do or say anything to inflame matters."

As she entered the house Sue Ellen was greeted by Pam. The latter shook her head before speaking. "It's over, Sue Ellen. Gary is gone. We can't get any sense from Miss Ellie about what caused this." Sue Ellen followed her sister-in-law into the living room. JR was right behind them. Miss Ellie and Lucy were sitting together in floods of tears. Miss Ellie looked up. Seeing JR, she let fly. "Get out of my sight, JR! You've driven Gary away again. I'll never forgive you!"

Sue Ellen placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Get off me, Sue Ellen! You always side with him! How can you be married to such a, a monster?" Sue Ellen sighed and looked at Pam. Pam shook her head. "Well, Bob, aren't you going to say something? I've saved this family from disaster" JR asserted. Bobby paused before he spoke. "I'm sorry mama but JR's right" he told the assembled company. "It was what daddy would have wanted. Tomorrow we go into Ewing Oil, united as brothers, and we do what we do best. We drill, refine and then deal in oil. It's all about the oil."

Tbc

 **There might not be a chapter now for just over two weeks but after a hard time with the story I am committed to it. Thank you for your continued interest : )**


	180. Chapter 181

Sue Ellen watched Miss Ellie playing with Ella. The weeks following Gary's departure had been awfully hard on the family. JR, however, remained resolute. He had acted in the best interests of the company and the family, Gary included, by forcing his mother's and brother's hands, he had opined to his wife one evening as they got ready for bed.

It was ironic, Sue Ellen thought, that JR taking charge of matters in the way that he had done had brought about a much improved relationship between himself and Bobby. The two brothers had wasted no time in dispelling the damaging rumours of a massive family rift over the company by presenting a united front and making robust and constructive decisions about where Ewing Oil ought to be heading. Both seemed determined, finally, to put the company before their jealousy of and rivalry towards each other.

Pam's response to all that had happened was the most surprising to her sister-in-law. Sue Ellen had predicted that Pam would come down on the side of Miss Ellie and Lucy regarding the entire episode. However, desperate to make her marriage work and for a much longed for baby, she had sided completely with Bobby and this made for an uneasy dynamic between herself and her mother-in-law and niece which, at times, was not pleasant to witness.

Sue Ellen appreciated only too readily the position that she found herself in. She could, akin to Pam, have supported JR totally. However, to do so would lead to her and, most importantly, her children becoming estranged from Miss Ellie and Lucy. That was the last thing Sue Ellen wanted, to deprive her grieving mother-in-law and vulnerable and damaged niece from having a relationship with Ella and John Ross. Accordingly, she decided to tread a completely neutral line, refusing to become involved in the verbal spats that had become a depressingly regular feature of life at Southfork.

Miss Ellie was glad that Sue Ellen had not abandoned her in favour of JR. She attached no blame to the young woman, appreciating that there had been no way that she would have been able to influence her husband, even if she had been given the opportunity to try. Lucy was a tougher customer though. It had taken weeks of patient acceptance of the insults that came Sue Ellen's way simply by virtue of who she was married to until the young girl came to realise that her young aunt cared for her and about her.

Sue Ellen's stubborn neutrality irritated JR and created a distance between the couple that they hadn't experienced since their reconciliation. He couldn't begin to understand why, unlike Pam, she refused to argue back on his behalf when Miss Ellie laid into him. "You're big enough and tough enough to stand up for yourself" Sue Ellen told him when he confronted her about her perceived lack of wifely support. "What good can it do if I get involved as well? The family needs to repair itself and it appears to me that I am the only one who represents a potential bridge for that to occur. In any event how can it be healthy for John Ross and Ella to have to live in a household filled with constant conflict?" she remonstrated with him.

JR just didn't seem to understand his wife's stance. Whenever she attempted to show him her love and support by gestures of affection or sensual overtures these days he would rebuff her. "I'm exhausted, honey" or I've had a hard day" would be the usual excuses offered.

Sue Ellen unconsciously let out a sad, audible sigh. Miss Ellie looked up. "Sue Ellen? Are you alright dear?" she asked as she picked Ella up and sat her on her knee. "I'm fine, Miss Ellie, just a little tired. That's all" she lied, not wanting to worry the woman any further. "What if I take these two sweetie pies in for a nap and let you have a break?" Miss Ellie asked. "That's kind of you. It's hot and I wouldn't mind a swim. The exercise would probably do me good" Sue Ellen responded. "That's settled then. You go up and change and I will see to the children."

When Sue Ellen returned downstairs all was quiet. Grandma always had the knack of settling her grandchildren down, she thought as she made for the pool. As she placed her towel down on one of the sunbeds she spied one of the ranch hands across the drive. He was stripped to the waist, over-heated by his exertions whilst mending one of the fences. She met his gaze. "Mrs Ewing" the young man said tipping his Stetson in accordance with the usual etiquette. Sue Ellen nodded in response and stared at the young man. She wondered why she hadn't noticed how handsome he was before? His physique represented the hard, manual work of a rancher. The muscles on his arms and torso were impressively defined. They glistened with sweat, the sight of which strangely aroused her.

The man stared back as Sue Ellen, without taking her eyes from him, removed her cover-up. For a spilt second they both felt embarrassed, ashamed even, but the encounter was too delicious to end there. Adjusting the strap on her swimsuit she turned and walked towards the diving board. She could feel the young man's eyes boring into her. JR might not think so these days but the rancher's attention reassured her that she remained attractive to the opposite sex, she thought, as she took her place and dived into the water gracefully.

She emerged from the dive and was gratified to note that the man's attention remained fixed on her. He watched intently as she stepped out of the pool, the fabric of her bathing suit clinging to her curves. She knew what he was thinking- how good would it be to have a woman like her? How good would it feel to have him, all over her? She wondered as she returned to the sunbed.

Suddenly sense took over her. What was she thinking? She was a married woman and a mother of two young children. Moreover, she loved JR despite all his faults. As the ranch hand returned to his work having realised that the pair of them were playing a somewhat dangerous game, Sue Ellen determined to put her marriage back on track, in the only way she knew how.

Tbc

 **Sorry about the sporadic updates. I've been on holiday. Thank you for the continued interest and reviews. I will try to write a little more regularly from now onwards : )**


	181. Chapter 182

"I don't understand, JR" Sue Ellen protested. "I've arranged for the four of us to go to the Lake House this weekend and you don't want to go?" JR sighed. "There's too much to be done at work, sugar. I'm going to have to work this weekend. We'll go soon, I promise." His wife turned on her heels and left the bedroom. She was disappointed, perhaps angry even. How are we ever going to be happy again if he won't make the least bit of effort, she wondered as she entered the nursery.

Oh yes, JR had certain needs after his daddy had died and she always made sure that they were satisfied. However, when she wanted her physical desires to be fulfilled he was entitled to refuse on the ground that the demands of the company came first? He wasn't being fair to her, she fumed. Suddenly the image of the handsome ranch hand from earlier that day intruded into her thoughts. She knew that the young man had lusted after her even though he almost certainly realised that nothing could ever come from it. For her part it was good to know that men still looked at her as a sexual being and not just a married woman and mother.

Impulsively she decided to take a walk down to the stables convincing herself that all she wanted to do was visit her new horse. As she reached the stable she saw him again. This time he had his shirt on but the outline of his physique could still be seen through the fine material. He tipped his Stetson once again. "Mrs Ewing. Can I help you?" Sue Ellen blushed as she took the man's features in properly. He had a fine boned face, the highlight of which was his dark brown, deep-set eyes offset by long black lashes. He was taller than JR and certainly in better physical shape. When he smiled shyly, in deference to the young woman's status, his face lit up.

"I've just come over to see my new horse" she told him. "Oh yeah, he's a beauty" he ventured, somewhat cheekily but at the same time charmingly. She returned his smile as she approached the stable and began to stroke the stallion's nose. He lingered, waiting to be dismissed by her. Instead she decided to make conversation which frightened but also excited the young man. He could be in serious trouble for over-familiarity with the young woman. He had been told on his first day that the two young Ewing wives were strictly off-limit and that extreme circumspection where they were concerned was required at all times. "I must apologise because I don't know your name" she began. "How long have you been working on the ranch?" "Three months, ma'am" he responded. "My name is Robert, Rob for short." "Where were you before this?" "I was at college."

Sue Ellen raised an eyebrow in surprise. Appearances could be deceiving. "I read veterinary medicine and graduated but I decided that wasn't the life for me. I was brought up on a farm. I love the outdoors and I enjoy taking care of the animals but not from a medical perspective necessarily. I guess you would regard that as a waste of a fine education?" "It's an unusual path to take in life but you have to do what makes you happy, don't you" she replied reflecting briefly on the future she had potentially given up to become JR's wife and the mother of his children.

She placed her arm around her horse's neck and nuzzled him with her cheek. The young man found her natural gesture of affection towards the animal somewhat arresting. Mrs Ewing had always seemed so cool and haughty to him before but today she appeared warm, sensual even. He stroked the horse's back. For a minute or so they remained silent but the lack of conversation didn't feel uncomfortable.

He watched her intently. Trust someone like JR Ewing to bag such a beauty, he pondered. To him, a lowly junior ranch hand, a woman like her was completely unattainable. He wondered what life was really like for her. Earlier that day she had seemed lonely, trapped in a sterile world in which she cared for her children during the day and waited for her husband's return at night. His eyes roamed to her body. Dressed in a simple blouse and jeans she remained almost as stunning as she had done earlier when the sight of her bathing suit clinging to her damp body had caused him briefly to become hard.

"Rob!" Ray, the ranch foreman called, jolting the young man from his thoughts. "Yes, Ray, I'm coming" he shouted back, slightly irritated that they had been interrupted. "Mrs Ewing, it was sure nice to have spoken to you this evening but I'm needed elsewhere" he told her, doffing his Stetson politely once more. "Goodbye, Rob. I may take him out for a ride tomorrow. See you then, I hope?" she answered seductively. She knew nothing would come of it but the sexual tension between her and the young man had the potential to cure her boredom and remove her, at least temporarily, from the conflict that existed at home.

She closed the stable door, patting her horse a final time, and turned towards the house. As she did so, JR emerged from around the corner. "Sue Ellen, you and I need a little talk, honey" he growled, taking hold of her arm dominatingly and forcefully." His actions startled her. "I'm coming. You don't need to manhandle me, JR" she told him sternly. "Oh I'm gonna do more than that, sugar, trust me" he informed her as they began walking towards the house.

tbc


	182. Chapter 183

As he marched her into the house Sue Ellen had to suppress a giggle. JR was so predictable, she thought, as he pushed her into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. "What do you think you were doing, honey?" he asked her. Sue Ellen smirked before responding. "What do you mean, JR? I was just visiting my horse, the one you got for me."

"You know damn well what I mean! You and that saddle tramp gazing into each other's eyes! You are married, Sue Ellen, to me and we have appearances to keep up!" "He isn't a saddle tramp" she told him firmly. "He's a fully qualified vet, better educated than you are, my love." JR's face was beginning to redden with anger.

"That may be so but it didn't stop him undressing you with his eyes, did it? Oh, but you knew just what he was after didn't you, sugar? You just can't resist male attention no matter where it comes from!" Sue Ellen tutted which only enraged him further. He took hold of her by the wrists causing her to gasp. "That's a laugh, JR! The only attention I want and need is from you but there hasn't been much lately has there? I am young and I need intimacy in our marriage. You know that. We learnt all about each other's desires and needs ages ago. When you wanted me after your daddy died I made sure I was available to you. Now it's your turn to satisfy me!"

"Or what? You start an affair with a ranch hand? Is that what you are saying?" he roared, shaking her and backing her towards the bed. "Maybe. You never know. I repeat, JR, I have needs and I want you to satisfy them." "Well let's satisfy them right now!" he told her as he pulled her roughly towards him. She pretended to struggle as he kissed her lips, slipping his tongue into her mouth. "Come on, Sue Ellen, you know you want me" he murmured between kisses.

Suddenly he felt her yield to him. He laughed wickedly. Had she been manipulating him all along he wondered as he began furiously unbuttoning her shirt. By now both of them were panting with desire. Once he had undone enough buttons he pulled the shirt over her head. She lifted her arms subserviently to assist him with its removal. "Mmmm.." he growled at the sight of her firm breasts straining against the fabric of her bra. As he groped them she began to work on his shirt quickly and deftly. Allowing the garment to fall to the floor, she seized him around the neck and began kissing him again. His torso was hot against her body.

He pulled away for a couple of seconds to remove her bra. Once her breasts were free he kneaded them firmly with one hand whilst playing with her nipples with the other. She shivered at his touch before instinctively moving her hand to his crotch. "You're so hard" she panted as she stroked his bulge over his pants. JR moaned softly in response.

He left her breasts momentarily to fumble with the belt around her jeans. She returned the gesture. She wanted to touch him, to anticipate what his erection would feel like when it finally entered her. "JR, let me do it. It will be quicker" she whispered as he continued clumsily to attempt to get her jeans off. He let go of her and watched lasciviously as she wriggled out of her jeans followed by her panties. She then stood before him, fully naked. She was stunning. He pulled her towards him once more and used his fingers on her. She moaned as he stroked her special spot and then inserted a finger inside her. "Yes, JR! That's so good!" she told him as she continued to free him of his pants.

Letting them drop to the floor followed by his boxers he clasped his arms tightly around her and guided her to the bed. For several minutes all they did was kiss and touch each other. Whilst they both wanted to take it further neither of them wanted to rush what was now turning out to be a delicious encounter. JR's hand wandered down between her legs once more. She was splendidly wet for him, he thought, as he continued to pleasure her. Sue Ellen arched her back and sighed. "I need you inside me, JR" she told him breathlessly. "Just hold on for a little longer, sugar. If I fuck you now it will be over in just a couple of minutes." The truth was that he had almost forgotten the pleasure he gained from his wife's body. Now that he had been re-awakened he wanted their lovemaking to last as long as possible.

He placed his mouth over one of her nipples and, whilst continuing to pleasure her with his fingers, sucked firmly on it. Her body stiffened and her breathing became more laboured. She was close he appreciated as he carried on. Suddenly she was sent over the edge. "JR!" she moaned as she came, shuddering as her orgasm hit her in warm, intense waves.

When she was done he decided that he couldn't hold off any longer. He entered her, sliding his full length into her warm, silky wetness. Now it was his turn to moan. She felt so very good, he mused, as he began to thrust inside her. He started off slowly appreciating that what he had just done to her might make her extra sensitive. However, she grasped his buttocks, demonstrating that she wanted it deeper, harder.

"Pound me, JR" she commanded. "Hmm hmm" he mumbled as he increased the speed and intensity of his thrusts. "Is that what you want, honey?" he asked, raining a shower of kisses upon her mouth. "Yes" she panted in response, arching her back and tightening around him. He was pulsing inside her, ever closer to the brink. He didn't want to come, not yet.

He withdrew for several seconds continuing to please her with his hand. "JR, I need you to fuck me again" she whispered as he tried to compose himself. He grunted as he entered her again. "Let me see if I can make you come at the same time as me" he told her as he began drilling her with his rock- hard cock. He took a sharp intake of breath to prevent himself from coming and then continued. She dug her nails into his buttocks. He could tell she was almost there. Thrusting himself furiously in and out of her they reached their climax together, Sue Ellen first, followed a split second later by JR.

They giggled as they uncoupled. "I knew I would get what I wanted, JR" she told him as she snuggled down into his arms. JR raised an eyebrow. "I knew you would follow me down to the stables and I knew exactly how you would react to me chatting to that ranch hand! JR, you're the only one for me. You're the only one I want, in and out of bed." He kissed her. Sometimes she could be just as devious as he was. "So, the Lake House this weekend?" he asked her. "Yes I'd like that very much, thank you."

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	183. Chapter 184

Sue Ellen entered the room. He was already waiting for her. "I don't know what I'm doing here" she told Rob. "Yes you do" he responded firmly, taking her in his arms and showering her face and neck with kisses. She was powerless to resist even though she appreciated that what they were doing was wrong. She briefly broke from the kiss to remove her jacket. She surveyed her surroundings. The motel room was clean but extremely basic. It certainly wasn't what she had become accustomed to. The tawdriness of the situation was not lost on her either- meeting a ranch hand at a cheap motel for sex. However, having felt his strong arms around her and his mouth on hers there was no going back. She wanted him and he definitely wanted her if the bulge in his pants was anything to judge by.

"Come here" he instructed. They began kissing again. He slipped his hand down the front of her shirt and kneaded her breasts. God, she feels so good, he thought as he continued. The scent of her perfume and the softness of her skin was intoxicating. He lay her on the bed and began the task of undressing her. She was totally compliant, much to his delight. As he did so he couldn't fail to note how expensively she was dressed, even down to her lingerie. He wondered whether her husband ever considered his wife's rare beauty and exquisite taste and just how lucky he had been to marry her? Probably not, he concluded, otherwise she wouldn't be here now, with him.

Having stripped her he began to take his own clothes off. She watched intently, marvelling at his muscular physique and then finally at the length and girth of his erection. She parted her legs and allowed him to enter her. "Sue Ellen!" he cried as she wrapped her lovely long legs around him and grasped his buttocks drawing him in further. She arched her back as he began thrusting rhythmically. "So good..." she murmured. He grazed his lips over her nipple causing her to cry out. He had to make her come, he had to give her so much pleasure that she would keep coming back for more. The use of his finger achieved his aim. He watched as she writhed in ecstasy beneath him and giggled slightly as he took her over the edge.

When she was done he withdrew and quickly turned her over. "What are you doing?" she panted. "Trust me you'll enjoy it" he told her as he parted her buttocks and slowly and carefully entered her, easing himself into her tight, pert ass. She wriggled initially as the pain hit her. He continued nevertheless, slowly thrusting until she was used to it and accepting of it. Finally, he spilled into her, panting and moaning as he did so. She was the best he'd ever had he pondered as they lay together afterwards.

"Rob!" It was Ray, forcing the young man abruptly back into reality. "You need to be careful there" the ranch manager warned. Rob looked at him quizzically. "You've been watching Mr and Mrs Ewing packing their car up way too intently. Sue Ellen Ewing is forbidden fruit, that is if you want to carry on being able to walk." "I don't know what you mean" Rob countered. "Oh I think you do. I've seen you staring at her. Sure, she's a beauty but she's not yours, she's JR's and nobody would ever take her away from him. He's a dangerous and determined man. He'd have no qualms about arranging for you to have an "accident" if he thought that you had designs on his wife."

Rob met Ray's gaze. "No harm in looking is there?" Ray shook his head. "Where JR Ewing is concerned there is a lot of harm. I've seen his jealousy where she's concerned first hand. Look, if you can't keep away then maybe you should reconsider working here. I don't want to fire you because you're a good worker but I may have to if this carries on."

Ray turned on his heels expecting the young man to follow. However, Rob couldn't resist one last glance. As she got into the passenger seat of JR's Mercedes Sue Ellen suddenly met his gaze. Embarrassed and all too aware of the consequences if her husband noticed she put her head down on the pretext of fastening her seatbelt. She didn't want their weekend away ruining before it had even started. Rob sighed. He knew that Ray was right but there was something about Sue Ellen Ewing that he had never felt for any other woman. He wanted her and if he could have her he'd live with the consequences.

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 **Sorry I haven't updated this in ages. So busy at work. Will try harder in future : )**


	184. Chapter 185

JR watched as Sue Ellen played with the children in the pool. He smiled at the sight of Ella and John Ross bobbing in the water in their swim rings, chuckling in delight as their mother whirled them around. His attention turned to his wife. She was wearing a bikini that she reserved only for the times when they were alone at the Lake House. She preferred to be somewhat more conservative regarding her swimwear when they were at Southfork.

He studied her figure closely. Despite having had two children her body was still perfect, a gorgeous combination of curves and athleticism, he thought. His gaze was penetrating and drew her attention to him. She raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. "Just looking" he told her, smiling cheekily. "Later" she responded seductively. "Help me with these two please, they need a nap."

JR stood up and waded into the pool towards Ella while Sue Ellen dealt with John Ross. They wrapped each child up in a large fluffy towel and cuddled them until they fell asleep, John Ross first followed by Ella. Sue Ellen settled her babies into their pushchair which she ensured was protected by the shade and then re-joined her husband on the day bed.

"Give me a kiss" JR asked gruffly. She did as she was told. Her body was damp yet warm against his. He pushed her back and leaned over so that he could kiss her again. As they broke off she spoke. "Good idea or bad idea?" she asked. "To come here for the weekend, I mean. You look so much more relaxed than you have done of late. Work is important, JR, but family time and rest is just as vital."

JR nodded. She was right. He was a lucky man in so many ways. Having been here overnight with his beautiful young wife had reminded him of that fact. He ignored Sue Ellen and failed to meet her needs for a loving marriage with regular intimacy at his peril. He drew her close and kissed her once more. They then lay back enjoying the warmth of the sun on their bodies. JR traced his finger around the outline of her bikini top and then brazenly allowed it to wander underneath to her breast. He gave a low growl at the feel of her. "Later" she repeated. The anticipation of what they would do later, once the children were tucked up for the night, was exciting.

As he looked at her body JR's thoughts began to travel to a darker place, one in which he stood to lose her, to have her taken away from him by another man. He tried to dismiss the thought but couldn't. He had seen her with that ranch hand the other day. He had watched the man's interactions with her. Her conduct may have been designed to manipulate his renewed interest in her. However, the young man's was more sinister. JR's stomach churned as he recalled how the man had looked at her. He wanted her. It was all too obvious.

Marvellous as it was to have captured such a beautiful young woman, for JR, given his disposition to jealousy, it had its downside. Tortured by the thought that anyone other than he would enjoy Sue Ellen's body he reacted in the only way that he could. "I'm going to have Ray fire that ranch hand who approached you the other day" he announced. Sue Ellen sat up in surprise. "Where did that come from?" she asked. Things had been going so well. They were happy again and their physical attraction to one another was equal, she thought.

"He was way too familiar with you. It was inappropriate that he had no respect for your status as my wife. Plus, I would have reservations about your safety with him around" he told her. Sue Ellen sighed. She didn't want to argue with him but Rob losing his job because of her flirting with him to manipulate JR would make her feel bad.

"JR, I don't want a row but isn't that a massive overreaction? What do you imagine he would do to me? You do trust me, don't you?" she questioned him. "I don't know, Sue Ellen" he replied flatly. She realised that he was in self-destructive mode. She hadn't seen him like this for a while. It hurt her to watch him torture himself like this, particularly because she realised it had been her fault. She had awoken JR's biggest emotional difficulties by her manipulation of the situation with Rob. JR was jealous, possessive and insecure in equal measure, by-products of the differential parenting he had received.

She tried to kiss him but he pulled away sullenly. "He's going to be fired, sugar. I can't trust the man where you're concerned." "He's done nothing wrong! If it had been Ray talking to me about my horse, you wouldn't have reacted like this" she told him firmly. "Sure, I knew it would make you mad. I also knew that it would prompt you to behave as you did towards me. That was what I wanted, you not him. I shouldn't have done it. It was narcissistic on my part and wrong. JR, I'm sorry. I won't have anything to do with him again. Let him stay. He probably won't remain on the ranch much longer anyway. You know what young ranch hands are like. They enjoy moving around and don't stay in one place too long. If he's fired he will put it about that the reason was because of your possessiveness of me. Do you want that, really?"

JR stared at her. No, he certainly didn't want his personal business broadcast by some cowboy in the local bars. However, right at that moment he wanted nothing more than to run the man right off the ranch. "I don't know, honey. I'm not making any rash decisions." "I'll make it up to you, I promise" she told him. This time he allowed her to kiss him. He knew what she was doing, trying to appease him, but right at that moment he needed her close.

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	185. Chapter 186

Cliff sauntered into the Oil Barons' Club. History was being re-written as he gained credibility in his role working for the Kay Brothers. Cliff Barnes was no longer the notorious former District Attorney who had gone to jail for abusing his position. He was a businessman and, much to the irritation of JR in particular, he had been nothing but successful to date.

He made his way through the bar, shaking hands and slapping backs as he did so. When he reached the large table occupied by the members of the Cartel and his boss he sat down confidently. Marilee Stone began the conversation but not before she looked around the restaurant to check that their conversation was not being eavesdropped. "For a while it looked like Ewing Oil was finished" she announced. "It seemed that it was all over for the company and its assets would be ours for the taking. That is, subject to the obvious interest that Weststar might take. However, for the moment Ewing Oil appears to be back to business. I say appears because I know that family relations are still unstable. Miss Ellie isn't even on speaking terms with her two sons."

"How do you know that?" Jordan Lee enquired. Marilee cocked her head towards Cliff. Cliff could always manipulate his sister into telling him lots of things she shouldn't. "The Ewings are only strong when they are united. That's always been the case" Cliff ventured, raising his glass to his mouth. "JR and Bobby are only just about getting along. Their rivalry knows no bounds and it's only a matter of time before they come to blows again. Then the floor is wide open for a further vote on the future of the company and this time I reckon that Miss Ellie will get her way." "I'm not sure" Andy Cole answered doubtfully. "JR is one determined man and there's no way he's going to see his daddy's legacy sold off in chunks to their one- time competitors."

"What if JR's mind were elsewhere?" Cliff suggested. "Distracted by something else in his life, something almost as important to him as Ewing Oil?" Marilee looked at him quizzically. "Let's face it, his wife and family do mean a lot to him. Look at how he reacted when Sue Ellen left him last time? He was barely able to function. Oh, it was different then because Jock remained at the helm so JR could have his little breakdown without any real detriment to the business. Now he only has his little brother to pick up the pieces and we can handle him."

Marilee shook her head. "JR and Sue Ellen are tight from all I hear. She's given him two children, one of each, and by all accounts she was the one who got him over his daddy's death. There's no imminent strife between them on the cards." "Hmm.. I'm not so sure" Cliff responded. "However, it's better that I keep a certain card very close to my chest. Wait and see." The attendant company closed down the conversation as Dora came over to take their orders. Marilee studied Cliff carefully. He had come into his own of late. Maybe there could be some fun to be had with the new member of her inner circle, she thought.

Later that afternoon Cliff packed up for the day and decided to look in on his boss. "I'll see you in the morning, John" he told him. "You will. Say Cliff, what is it that you know about JR and his wife that you weren't keen on telling Marilee?" "Keep it to yourself but I'm working on splitting them up" Cliff replied, smiling wickedly. "No offence but Sue Ellen wouldn't look at you, would she?" John asked. "Oh she's not looking at me" Cliff responded mysteriously. "Goodnight."

Later that evening at a seedy bar out of town Cliff waited for his guest to arrive. Swilling a neat whisky down in one he watched as the young man made his way over. Cliff beckoned him to sit and ordered two more drinks from the young waitress who had approached. The woman was puzzled by the incongruity of the two men. One was expensively dressed in a suit, like a wealthy businessman. The other was a cowboy and a handsome one at that, she noted as she fetched them their drinks.

"Thanks honey" the cowboy said, smiling cheekily at the waitress. She returned the smile. "You're in there" Cliff joked as they watched the young woman walk away. "Oh there are way bigger fish to fry, as you well know" he responded. "I take it you've had contact?" Cliff asked. "Oh yes, Mrs Ewing sure is one bored housewife. Her husband takes her completely for granted. I've made my interest known, in a subtle way. I don't want to scare her off." "And?" Cliff enquired, his curiosity pricked. "Oh I'm fairly confident I'm going to get what I want. You see, this started out as a job, working for you for a substantial fee but now that I've seen her and I'm getting to know her it's more than a job, Mr Barnes. I want her. I want Sue Ellen Ewing."

Cliff studied the cowboy. There was once a time when he had wanted her too. She'd flirted and they'd kissed but in the end, as ever, JR had pulled her back to him. Was it really outside the bounds of possibility that the strapping young ranch hand might be more successful? "Ruin her, Rob. From what I've seen she'll enjoy every minute of it. However, make sure JR witnesses it. I want him to be broken, completely." "I've been warned that JR could do something really bad to me when he finds out" Rob told him. Cliff shook his head. "Uh uh. You'll be long gone before he can get to you. He won't even have your real name for a start."

The two men clinked their glasses. Cliff felt almost triumphant. He'd inveigled someone into the life of his arch enemy whom he was now confident had the capability of destroying him.

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	186. Chapter 187

"Did you enjoy your weekend away?" Pam asked Sue Ellen, dangling her baby nephew on her knee making him chuckle. Sue Ellen sighed. "Yes it was lovely, thank you." Sue Ellen paused, uncertain whether to tell her sister-in-law the whole truth. Pam looked at her. There was something she was keeping back, she estimated. Sue Ellen sighed again. "It was lovely and we enjoyed ourselves, Pam, but JR has started acting all jealous again and it wears me down."

Pam placed John Ross on his playmat and sat back in her chair. She would let Sue Ellen explain, if she wanted to, in her own time. The two women smiled as Ella approached her little brother and offered him the toy she had in her hand. John Ross snatched it from her. "Thank you, Ella, that was very kind" Sue Ellen praised her, causing the little girl to beam in response.

"JR thinks that one of the young ranch hands is attracted to me" she began. "He became all weird about it while we were at the lake house and started threatening to have him fired." Pam took a sip of her coffee. "Do you think the man is attracted to you?" she asked. "I don't think so. He spoke to me for just a couple of minutes. It was my fault really. I engaged him in conversation to goad JR. He hadn't been paying me much attention at the time and I knew it would rile him. However, since then I haven't been anywhere near the man. JR and I reconnected and I thought everything was fine between us. That is until he went off at the deep end on Saturday." Sue Ellen appreciated that she was being economical with the truth because the fact was that, deep down, she knew the effect her looks had on men and the ranch hand was no exception. The reality was that she was feeling somewhat ashamed of her behaviour towards him.

"You know what JR is like, Sue Ellen. He's always been very paranoid where you are concerned. I suspect he's very afraid of losing you." Sue Ellen nodded. "I guess it's just something that I have to accept. It's part of being married to him and it's not going to improve any time soon." Suddenly Sue Ellen felt very guilty. Pam was the only member of the household who did not know exactly why JR behaved in the way he did towards her. It was a secret that could never be told, especially now that Pam and Bobby were getting on so much better.

She decided to change the subject. "How was your weekend then?" This time it was Pam's turn to sigh. "Things are still so tense here. There was a verbal altercation between Miss Ellie and Bobby over dinner on Saturday night which ended with the two of us driving into town to stay at the condo for the night" she explained. "How come?" "Oh the usual. Bobby said something about Ewing Oil and Miss Ellie let fly at him. Lucy came to Miss Ellie's defence, of course, and it was me who ended it. I just got up from the table and suggested to Bobby that we go away for the night to let things calm down. When we got back on Sunday nobody was speaking to us. I tell you what it was one mighty relief when you and JR got back. Gosh I never thought I'd say that where your husband is concerned!" Pam laughed ruefully.

"And you and Bobby?" Sue Ellen asked, hoping she would get a reply that would absolve her feelings of guilt. "Yes, things are good between us which is ironic really given the atmosphere we live in. It's like the dispute with Miss Ellie has brought us closer. Bobby is really making an effort." The two women looked down at the children, each of them thinking the same thing. "I went to see your gynaecologist again. Bobby and I are trying really hard for a baby and I think it's wise for us to keep the doctor involved for advice and then, if it happens, for monitoring and treatment."

Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes that is wise. Has she advised you about the level of risk given the miscarriage with your first?" "It's the same as it was then. There can be no guarantees. We just have to hope. The first thing though is actually getting pregnant and that's not without its difficulties." Pam didn't elaborate. Her condition was something that only she, Bobby and the doctor knew about. "Sue Ellen, you are so lucky to have these two." "I know but both pregnancies were very hard and the aftermath of John Ross's birth was nothing short of a nightmare" Sue Ellen responded.

"I take it you and JR are done then? With having children, I mean?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "The honest answer is we haven't discussed it. In any case these two are still very young and even if my health could stand it it's way too soon to be thinking about having another."

Unexpectedly there was a knock to the front door. "I'll get it. I'm nearest" Sue Ellen told Pam. She walked to the door and opened it. "Good afternoon, Mrs Ewing. I've been sent up by Ray to ask if Miss Ellie could spare a few moments of her time" Rob lied. He'd watched Miss Ellie leave the house an hour earlier. He stared at Sue Ellen, eyeing her up from top to bottom. Sue Ellen stared back. He is incredibly handsome, she thought to herself before answering. "She isn't in. She's gone into town for lunch with a friend, Can I give her a message?" Pam observed their interactions from where she was sitting. Was there just a hint of a frisson between the two of them, she wondered. "No thank you, Mrs Ewing. I'm sure Ray will catch up with her later" he replied, his gaze wandering to the hint of cleavage she had on display. "I haven't seen you at the stables much recently" he ventured cheekily, warning himself not to go too far in case he scared her off. "Anyway, I hope all is well with you, Mrs Ewing. Thank you for your time."

She closed the door and went back into the room. "Wow, Sue Ellen. Is that him? The one that JR is jealous of?" Pam asked. Sue Ellen blushed and then merely nodded. "Be careful, Sue Ellen. I think JR's right. That man has designs on you."

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	187. Chapter 188

Rob surreptitiously watched as Sue Ellen swam up and down the pool. He had been stymied in the recent past from making any proper contact with her. Her days were either occupied by taking care of the children up at the house or going out into town to the DOA lunches that she had resumed attending or shopping. He was just going to have to bide his time, he thought as he stared lasciviously at her toned body as she ploughed length after length.

Seeing JR's Mercedes approaching the house he skulked further away from the house. He was annoyed. Until then he had been enjoying the view. As he watched JR get out of the car he wondered briefly why it was that his employer, Cliff Barnes, hated the man so much. It wasn't just about business, he mused. There was a much more personal quality to the animosity.

Sue Ellen stopped swimming when she saw her husband. "Hello, JR. You're back early" she greeted him. It was only about four o'clock and JR rarely, if ever, came home from the office so early. She briefly worried that something might be wrong but her husband's expression did not evidence any sign of a problem.

JR smiled at her and held out the large towel that she had strewn over the sunbed signalling her to get out of the pool. As she reached the top step he draped the towel around her shoulders and gently pulled her up the top step towards him. "Good afternoon, sugar" he responded. "I decided to come home a little earlier than usual to be with you and the children." Rob watched as they kissed. Their interactions and body language towards each other were entirely natural, he seethed. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had originally reckoned. JR was apparently making a lot more effort in his marriage these days and Sue Ellen appeared to be most appreciative of how he was behaving. She seemed more fulfilled, more content and happier with her lot in life than when he had first begun his "assignment".

"Ella and John Ross are still asleep" Sue Ellen informed her husband. "They've been in the pool this afternoon. Both of them were exhausted when I put them down in the nursery. I was going to wake them in about an hour." JR smiled mischievously. He enjoyed spending time with his children but if they were asleep he and Sue Ellen could definitely find something else to do. He kissed her once more. "Come on then, honey, let's go and have a lie down for an hour then!"

Sue Ellen giggled as she dried herself off. She adored it when JR was spontaneous where sex was concerned and this afternoon was as good a time as ever for the pair of them to sneak off to bed for an hour. Miss Ellie was out at the Andersons' home planning the next DOA charity event, Pam and Bobby were both at work and Lucy was going straight to Muriel's after school, supposedly to study but, in reality, to chat about the things that interested most young girls of their age.

Rob watched as Sue Ellen put on her cover up and slipped on her sandals. He wished he was where JR was right now, his arm around her, kissing her cheek and patting her bottom gently as they entered the house. He looked up to their bedroom window to see JR closing the curtains. A wave of envy tinged with anger washed over him. At this rate he was never going to have her and if he didn't, other than the minimal wage he had received from the ranch, he wasn't going to get paid either.

Impulsively he moved closer to the house. If the staff came out he would make some excuse about being sent with another message for Miss Ellie, he schemed. He listened carefully. The noises emanating from the open bedroom window betrayed the obvious activity going on inside. He fumed as he heard her moan softly in pleasure followed by the corresponding groans of her husband. There was no rational explanation for his behaviour in wanting to listen to their lovemaking. He'd been in this situation many times before. He was a professional who normally had no feelings for the women he was employed to seduce. This time, however, was different. He couldn't have fallen in love with her, could he? He wondered as he began to back away from the house. Perhaps it was just sheer lust, he pondered. She was by a long way the most beautiful of his prey. All he knew was that he wanted her, he wanted Sue Ellen Ewing like no woman he'd ever met before.

As he edged further away he was discovered. "What are you doing, Rob?" Ray asked tersely. "Nothing. I was just looking at the fancy things the Ewings have. Not something that you and I are likely to experience is it?" he answered. Ray knew that he was lying. "I've told you before and this is the last time I'm going to say it- Sue Ellen Ewing is off limits. She wouldn't be interested in you anyway. What has a lowly ranch hand got to offer compared to what she has with JR?" Ray realised that his latter remark was somewhat cruel but he had to make the young man see sense. Otherwise there would be trouble.

Ray began to walk, expecting Rob to follow, which he did. As they came close to the garages Pam drew up. She looked quizzically at the two men before hastily getting out of her car. "What's going on, Ray?" she asked. "Oh nothing, Mrs Ewing. Rob here had noticed something not quite right with your husband's horse and we had come over to discuss getting the vet out to him" Ray lied. "Just get the vet out then" Pam responded in an irritated tone. "If there's something wrong with the horse he needs to be seen. I don't know why you thought you needed Miss Ellie's permission first."

The men tipped their Stetsons in acknowledgment. "Yes Ma'm. We're sorry to have inconvenienced you" Ray responded politely. Pam watched them walk away. She wasn't buying it. Ray had the authority to call out a veterinarian whenever he deemed it necessary, she thought. No, that was an excuse. She noted the cars parked on the driveway other than hers and was relieved to see JR's parked up as well as Sue Ellen's. There was something about that new ranch hand that she didn't trust where her sister-in-law was concerned. JR's instincts were right, she decided. It was time to take action before real harm could be caused.

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	188. Chapter 189

After dinner Pam decided to take action. Waiting behind to catch JR alone as the others walked into the living room she made her approach. "JR, I need to speak with you, in private please." JR looked at her quizzically. Normally the two of them had next to nothing to talk about. "It's important" she whispered between gritted teeth. JR sighed. What could his sister-in-law have to say to him that could possibly be important? He wondered as she ushered him through to the den.

Their movements were noted by the rest of the family. Miss Ellie sighed. More conflict no doubt, she thought as she poured herself her usual nightcap. Sue Ellen and Bobby exchanged worried glances. If an argument ensued they would just have to intervene and break it up, they each thought. Lucy remained quiet. More secrets in the family she decided before excusing herself to go and finish her homework.

Pam closed the door to the den softly behind her. JR went over to the bar and poured himself a large drink before settling down in an armchair. He didn't offer Pam a drink. "Well?" he asked gruffly. "What do you need to discuss with me, Pamela? What is it I've done now?"

Pam shook her head. "Nothing, JR, for once. I need to tell you about a certain ranch hand whom you have already identified as a bit of a, well, nuisance where Sue Ellen is concerned." JR's interest was pricked. He sat up quickly in his seat. "What do you mean, Pamela? Can you please refrain from talking in riddles and tell me what's going on, or at least what you perceive is going on?"

"I caught him this afternoon up at the house. Ray was with him but I got the impression that he'd arrived later. Ray gave me an excuse for why they were both there that was, frankly, not credible. Then there was the other day when the young man, I think he's called Rob, came to the door on what was another pretext in my opinion and was making conversation with Sue Ellen. If I'm wrong I apologise but I believe that he has an unhealthy interest in your wife."

JR stared at her intently. He was all too aware of what he and Sue Ellen had been doing when Pam came home from work and he did not like to think of the two men being in close proximity to the house at the time. However, never one to betray his emotions, and particularly not to someone like Pam, he remained composed. Internally, though, he was seething. Pam shifted nervously from one foot to another, trying to gauge his likely reaction. "I want to stress, JR, that I have not seen Sue Ellen do a single thing to encourage the man" she told him, conscious of her brother-in-law's propensity to anger when jealous. She didn't want Sue Ellen to suffer on account of her intervention.

"Thank you Pamela" JR eventually responded. "I'm sure that you will appreciate that our marriage is mine and Sue Ellen's private and personal business. I will take care of matters from now on" he informed her coolly. Pam shrugged her shoulders and left the room. She had given JR the warning. It was up to him now. As she entered the hallway Bobby came up to her. "Pam?" he asked. "Don't worry, Bobby. I can't really talk about it but rest assured there's no trouble between JR and I right now. Let's go to bed" she told her husband placing one foot on the bottom stair.

Inside the den JR's mind was swirling. How dare that man attempt to move in on his wife? He fumed as he poured another bourbon and began to drink. Sitting back down he reflected on what he had seen and what Pam had now told him. A sudden feeling of suspicion washed over him. There had been many young, handsome ranch hands who had passed through Southfork since his marriage to Sue Ellen. They may have looked at her from time to time but none of them had ever made a direct approach. They hadn't dared. What made this man different? What would prompt him to come up to the house to make contact with her? Had he really been eavesdropping on their lovemaking when Pam had caught him this afternoon?

He picked up the telephone and called Ray. "Hello, Ray, it's JR here. You have a junior ranch hand by the name of Rob. Can you tell me his surname please?" Ray's stomach lurched. He knew that Pam hadn't bought his story but hadn't expected her to say anything to anyone. "Is there a problem, Mr Ewing?" Ray asked nervously. "I don't know, Ray. Is there?" JR countered. "No sir. Well I hope not. His surname is Adams" Ray responded, fearing for his own job if he did not comply with JR's request. He would have to warn Rob in the morning that JR was onto him. "Where is the man from?" JR enquired. "I believe he's from Houston, sir." "Thank you, Ray. Goodnight."

JR terminated the call and began another, this time to Harry McSween. He gave the man the brief details he'd been supplied with and received an assurance in turn that if there was anything to discover about the man it would be discovered within a fairly short timescale. "I want to know everything there is to know about him" JR instructed. "Then I will decide how to deal with him." "Yes sir" Harry replied. He knew better than to ask what this was all about. A generous fee would be coming his way for his services and that was as much as he needed to know. He would get onto it first thing in the morning.

Sue Ellen knocked and entered the den. "JR?" she asked. "What were you and Pam talking about?" "Nothing, honey. She just reckons I'm working Bobby too hard at the company. I gave her short shrift in reply" he lied. "Shall we go up?" she asked doubtfully. It wasn't what he had said. It was how he had said it. There was something troubling her husband, something that had altered his mood from earlier in the day but she knew that he wasn't for telling her so there was no point in continuing to press for the real answer. Taking her arm possessively he led her upstairs. No man other than him was ever going to have Sue Ellen, he determined. If the young man wanted trouble he was going about it the right way.

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	189. Chapter 190

"I don't want you going to the stables unaccompanied, alright Sue Ellen?" JR informed her as they got dressed the following morning. "I don't understand, JR" Sue Ellen protested. "I've been down there hundreds of times by myself. What is it that you think I'm going to do?" JR glared at her, making her feel uneasy. "It's not you. It's that ranch hand. I don't trust him where you are concerned. Now I'm not asking, Sue Ellen. This isn't optional. As my wife, I expect you to do as you're told."

Realising that he meant business Sue Ellen nodded submissively. JR's expression immediately softened. Placing his hands on her shoulders he spoke once more. "Good. Now why don't you go into town and get something real nice for yourself? Charge it to me. It's my treat." Sue Ellen kissed his lips briefly in gratitude. It wasn't the offer of the gift that made her feel better though. It was the fact that her husband had kept his temper and not exploded into one of his usual jealous rages that assuaged her. She knew how to deal with him these days. Agreeing to what he was demanding rather than debating the point was the quickest way to calm him down. Not that she thought he really had much to be worried about. Rob was a good looking young man with a surfeit of confidence that he felt entitled him to be forward with the opposite sex, she thought. Not unlike JR in his old skirt-chasing days before they became an item. However, she was confident that Rob would never dare to overstep the line with her.

"Now I'm running a little late so I'm skipping breakfast. I have a meeting first thing and if the traffic this morning is anything like it was yesterday I'm at risk of missing it" he told her, pecking her on the lips briefly. "I'll see you this evening, sugar. Oh, and if you do go into town, can you pick me up a dozen silk ties from The Store? I don't have time and in any case you have so much better taste than I do."

Three hours later, as JR was about to leave the office for lunch, he was interrupted by the intercom. "Mr Ewing? There's a Mr McSween to see you. He doesn't have an appointment but he says it's urgent" his secretary informed him. "That's fine, Barbara. Please show Mr McSween in" JR responded. It seemed that it hadn't taken Harry much time at all to do as he had been asked, JR thought as he stood up to greet the man.

Shaking Harry's hand JR scrutinised his expression. Instinct told him that the man already had "the goods" on the young ranch hand. "So, you have news for me already, Harry?" he asked as the detective settled into the chair across from his desk. "He's good but not that good. At covering his tracks, I mean JR" Harry began. JR was intrigued. "So, for a start, he's not from Houston as you were informed. Robert Steven Adams hails in fact from Austin. Not that he's lived there recently though." JR raised an eyebrow. "Why would he lie about where he comes from?" he asked. "Oh he's not just lying about that. He's concealing a whole lot more" Harry sniggered.

He went into his inside pocket and took out a notebook. Opening it at the correct page Harry began to read. "Born and brought up in Austin. Raised by a single mother from an early age he obtained a football scholarship at SMU." "Veterinary Medicine?" JR interjected. "Nah! Nothing as intellectually challenging as that. He was in the Faculty of Humanities with a stronger emphasis on training with the university football squad than going to lectures. Anyway, he didn't last a year. Mr Adams found a far more lucrative way of life as a male escort! Rich women pay him to take them out and then afterwards…"

JR waved his hand in irritation. "I know full well what a male escort does, Harry" he told him annoyedly. This was all getting to be very sinister he seethed as the detective read on. "He has been all over the world in his "job". He advertises his services very discreetly. All word of mouth. So, JR, that's what we know so far. However, it's early days. What remains to be discovered is why he has ended up at Southfork. He sure doesn't need the money. He can earn in one night the equivalent of two weeks' wages as a ranch hand. Don't worry I'll have the answer for you really soon. I'm confident of that." JR remained silent.

"Put someone on him" JR commanded. "I want his every move tailed. I have to know who is behind this before I deal with the gigolo because, whatever punishment I mete out to him, is going to be nothing by comparison to what I do to the person who is employing him." Harry nodded. "I'm sure we can think of something very inventive, JR" he laughed as he rose from his seat.

JR showed the detective to the door. Bile was rising in his throat by the time he had closed it. His thoughts raced immediately to his wife, the dark- haired beauty whose heart he had managed to capture. The thought of the man seducing her, having her, spoiling her made him feel sick. He had to take several deep breaths before he could feel anything approaching calm once more. He had to play it cool, though. He couldn't risk revealing his hand too soon, he told himself, although the temptation to send someone to ruin the man's pretty face was all too strong. No, he had to bide his time, make everything seem completely normal before wreaking his revenge.

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	190. Chapter 191

Harry Mc Sween watched carefully as his target turned right out of Southfork Ranch and onto the highway. He waited for a time before pulling out in pursuit but kept his distance to avoid suspicion. Tactically he let the driver of another car overtake him to pull in front. With that car in between the two of them he ought to be immune from detection he reckoned, maintaining his concentration on the car that he was following.

The choice of vehicle by his target was interesting, he mused. Rob Adams would be able to afford something far more luxurious but that wouldn't be in keeping with a junior ranch hand's level of income. Whoever was behind this had been keen to place the man at Southfork under deep and convincing cover.

After several miles, the lead car turned left abruptly down a smaller road. Harry brought his car to a standstill just off the highway and waited for several seconds before recommencing his pursuit. By that time, Rob's vehicle was only just visible. Harry accelerated to catch up ever so slightly so that his target remained in sight. He smirked to himself as he recalled using the same tactics as he was now employing on numerous occasions for JR in the past.

Harry slowed down instinctively as the brake lights appeared on the vehicle in front. As the driver of that car slowed down Harry was relieved to note that it was to make a right- hand turn into the car park of a small diner rather than to come to a halt to confront him. A little past the car park, on the opposite side of the road, lay a gas station. Harry turned in there and stopped next to one of the pumps. He got out and began to pump gas into his car, watching all the while casually as Rob exited his vehicle and made his way into the diner. Once Rob was inside Harry ceased pumping the gas, locked his fuel tank door and quickly paid the attendant. He then turned out of the station back on himself and entered the car park of the diner. Choosing a darkened space to reverse into he sat back and waited.

He was heartened to observe that his target had selected a window seat. If the man was meeting anyone Harry would be in a prime position to photograph them, he thought. To that end he opened his camera case and ensured that the camera was ready with the flash activated. He saw a young waitress place a plate of food before her customer and watched as he ate heartily. Was he in fact waiting for someone or just getting a bite to eat? Harry wondered as he continued with his observations.

After twenty minutes had elapsed Rob got up to leave. Harry slunk down in the seat of his car whilst keeping his eyes on target. Rob exited the building and walked towards his own car. As he did so he looked around but apparently failed to spot the person who had him under surveillance. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. JR would kill him if he messed this job up, he worried. There was something about the young man's actions though that made him feel uneasy, he pondered as he watched the car pull out of the car park and head back towards the highway.

Suddenly Harry decided on a different tack. Taking his car radio in hand he called for one of his men whom he had situated in the vicinity to take over from him. "Vincent, it's me" he told his colleague. "I've got a funny feeling that he's onto me. I need you to follow him. He's five minutes from the highway and will be travelling away from and not towards Southfork I reckon." "Ok boss, I'm on it" Vincent responded. The two men were desperate to get the job done successfully for their rich and powerful "employer", each of them realising that they couldn't afford to lose the valuable side-line that he offered.

At that Harry pulled out of the car park and deliberately turned in the opposite direction from that in which Rob was travelling. If he was onto him he would be looking for him in his rear mirror to gauge whether he was in fact being pursued, he calculated slyly. He drove slowly down the bending road, found a convenient place to stop and waited. He would sit there for quite a long time before setting back off, this time for home, he schemed. He imagined the scene at Southfork. The family would all be gathered for dinner right now he realised. Those members of the family other than JR would be oblivious to what he and his colleague were getting up to this evening. Where JR was concerned, however, Harry estimated that he would be on tenterhooks waiting for the result of their efforts. His mind wandered to JR's wife. He'd only seen Sue Ellen Ewing in person on a handful of occasions but each time had been struck by her beauty and her husband's obvious devotion to her. It was no wonder that JR had reacted so venomously to the notion that a male escort in the guise of a ranch hand had her in his sights, he thought.

Harry waited for forty minutes before switching his engine back on and making for home. As he walked wearily through the front door to the aroma of the dinner that his wife was preparing for them the telephone rang. Harry rushed to answer it. "Harry? It's done" Vincent informed him. "I've got the pictures. Tell you what, Mr Ewing isn't going to be one bit pleased when he sees who pretty boy has just met up with!"

As Vincent started to explain what he had done and what had happened Harry was interrupted. "Dinner's ready, dear" his wife told him, smiling warmly. "Work can wait." "I've got to go. We'll speak in the morning, alright? Oh and well done, Vinny." Relieved that the evening's efforts had not been in vain Harry then followed his wife through into their dining room. He could wait until tomorrow to discover what the other detective had photographed, he told himself as he placed his napkin on his lap.

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	191. Chapter 192

"Come on honey" JR murmured as he placed his hand down the front of Sue Ellen's nightgown. She stirred drowsily in response to his caresses. "I'm really in the mood and I just need to before it's time to get up" he encouraged her. She half opened her eyes at which he kissed her lips gently. "You taste so good" he told her before continuing with deeper, more ardent kisses. Sue Ellen moaned slightly but then began to respond by returning his kisses. As ever she was soft and warm and gently perfumed. Just perfect, he thought. He growled in the realisation that she was going to submit to him. He pushed her hand down towards his crotch to let her know just how much he wanted her. As she stroked his erection over his pyjama bottoms he pushed her nightgown up and placed his hand inside her panties.

She was ready within minutes. He loved how easily she was aroused by his touch. He quickly took off her panties and got on top of her. Just as he was about to enter her the telephone rang. His first instinct was to ignore it but then he wondered, with more than a hint of irritation, who it was that could be calling the house at that time of the morning. "Aren't the servants paid to answer the telephone anymore?" he asked annoyedly as he rolled off his wife and reached to pick up the handset. "Hello?" "JR? It's Harry. I'm sorry to call you so early…" Before the detective could continue JR interjected. "You're damn right it's early. What's the matter?" he asked gruffly. "There's been a major development on the job that you asked me to do for you, JR. I felt you should know first thing so that any further action you want to take can be planned."

The man's words caused JR to sit up abruptly. Sue Ellen remained reclined but began to watch her husband intently. Not wanting her to know the purpose of the call JR decided not to ask for any further information from Harry over the telephone. "Can you come into the office at 9am sharp?" he asked. "Yes sir." Sensing that JR was in the company of someone else, probably his wife, Harry said no more and simply hung up.

"Who was that, JR?" Sue Ellen asked as she watched him reach over to replace the handset. "Oh, one of our senior engineers- problem at Ewing 11" JR lied. "Do you still want to?" Sue Ellen asked seductively. JR shook his head. "That call ruined the moment, sugar. I'm sorry but I tell you what? If I can I'll come home a little earlier than usual and we can have a little lie down then." "Alright" Sue Ellen responded snuggling down beneath the bedclothes once more. Whilst her children were still sleeping she would take a little more rest herself, she thought, as her husband got up out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.

Two and a half hours later and JR knew all that there was to know about Rob Adams and the man behind him. Placing the selection of photographs showing him meeting up with Cliff Barnes in a seedy out-of-the-way bar back into their envelope he shook Harry's hand. Never one to show anger unless absolutely necessary his outward appearance remained cool. Internally he was raging. "Great work, Harry" he told the detective. "Thank you, JR. So, do you need anything further?" Harry asked. "Oh yes. I want you to deal with the gigolo in your usual inimitable fashion. Barnes I can handle all by myself" JR replied.

Harry nodded. "Yes sir. When?" "As soon as you can. The sooner the better." JR handed an envelope stuffed full of cash to Harry. "That's payment for the work you and your colleague have done to date" JR told him. "If you complete the next task successfully there's a lot more where that came from." At that the two men shook hands once more and Harry took his leave. At this rate he and his wife would be able to book another cruise, perhaps around the Mediterranean this time, the detective thought as he bade the secretaries good-day and walked towards the lift.

JR walked to the bar, picked up a decanter but then hurriedly placed it back down. He needed a drink but it was far too early, he decided. In any case, he needed to keep a clear head to determine how he was going to set about dealing with Barnes. He sat down and stared out of the window hoping for inspiration. How dare that termite attempt to interfere in his marriage again? He fumed as he stared at the Dallas skyline.

There was a knock at the door. "JR?" Bobby asked as he entered the office. "Do you have a moment to discuss a deal that we've been offered?" JR motioned for his brother to sit. As Bobby talked the proposal through JR's mind wandered to the much bigger problem facing him. What could Barnes' motivation be? He wondered. Revenge was the most obvious reason but why leave it until now? He pondered before forcing himself to concentrate once more on what Bobby was telling him.

Bobby finished speaking and sat back in his chair waiting anxiously for JR to respond. "So, you suspect that the deal is bogus? Is that basically what you're saying, Bobby?" JR eventually asked. Bobby nodded. "Have you discussed the legal position? With Harve I mean?" "Yes, he acknowledged that the deal appears attractive and lawful, at least on the face of it, but advised caution. Shall I just tell the company we're not interested?"

"Yes, but not just yet. Keep them hanging for a few days, Bob" JR told him. Bobby looked at him quizzically. "What are you thinking, JR?" he asked suspiciously. "Oh nothing. I just want to do a little bit of research myself. You know how I feel about companies who try to push deals our way that aren't exactly genuine" JR lied. "Alright then. I'll make myself unavailable for their calls for now. However, JR I expect you to keep me in the loop about what you're doing."

"Of course, Bobby. We're partners remember? That's how it's going to stay. Now, I have a lunch appointment and then after that I think I'm going to call it a day. Sue Ellen and I haven't seen much of each other recently. I reckon I ought to spend some time with her and the children later." Bobby nodded but looked doubtful. Why did he have the feeling that what he had just told his older brother had provided the foundation for one of his dastardly plans?

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	192. Chapter 193

JR sauntered into the Oil Barons' Club. As usual he was greeted by a number of fellow oil men as he strode casually through the bar. JR repaid the compliments, shaking hands and slapping backs, at times sincerely and at others with shameful hypocrisy. Reaching Dora, he gazed around the restaurant and was gratified to see them all there, sitting at the one table, talking animatedly. "Can you seat me somewhere over there please, honey?" he asked the hostess, gesturing in the direction of the people at the table. "Of course, Mr Ewing" Dora responded. Ordinarily JR wouldn't want to be within a mile of Cliff Barnes and the woman wondered why today was different but decided not to ask.

She began to lead JR to his table, observing the number of other diners who were quick to rise to their feet to say hello to him. The greetings drew him to the attention of the people assembled at the large, circular table. As he made his way past them Cliff was the first to speak. "JR! Dining alone today?" he called out. JR turned and stared. "Hello, Marilee, Seth, Jordan and Andy. I honestly thought you kept better company" he sneered. Marilee shifted nervously in her seat. She never liked to be on the wrong side of JR. Experience had taught her the dangerousness of that years ago. "Hello, JR. It's just business, that's all" she told him. "What else would it be? Mind you I'd be very cautious about getting involved with Barnes. He's a born loser, aren't you jailbird?"

Cliff laughed loudly attracting the interest of the other diners. Playing right into JR's hands he replied mischievously. "How's your wife? The lovely Sue Ellen? Please give her my best wishes." "Don't bring my wife into your stupid little games, Barnes. In fact, don't even mention her name in future" JR told him feigning annoyance. Cliff smirked before answering. "She's too good for you, JR. You know it just as well as I do. One day someone is going to come along and take her away from you." The members of the Cartel looked down in embarrassment. "Cliff, don't cause a scene" Jordan warned him. "Needs saying Jordan! How he ever managed to persuade her to marry him is nothing short of a miracle. Let's put it this way, if you had no money, JR, she wouldn't have given you a second glance! Oh, and when she does leave, she won't be going alone. She'll take your brats with her and then what will you have left?"

The restaurant descended into silence as the diners waited expectantly for JR to reply. Glaring at Cliff, JR picked up Marilee's full flute of champagne and threw it directly into his face. "You termite! How dare you malign my family!" Dabbing his face with his napkin Cliff laughed loudly. He'd accomplished what he had set out to do- to rile JR Ewing. "Now JR, you need to keep that temper of yours under control" he told him. "Could get you into a lot of trouble otherwise!"

JR turned on his heels. "Dora, I've lost my appetite. You need to be more careful who you let in to this place in future" he told her, passing back the menu that he was holding. "Yes sir. I'm awfully sorry. I hope we will see you here again real soon" she apologised. JR then made his way to the lift, head held down and with an angry expression on his face. As the doors closed and the lift began its descent he smiled, then giggled and then broke into hearty laughter. "Barnes, you just get dumber by the day" he told himself. The scene was set and a trap would now be laid for his adversary.

Back in the restaurant Cliff and his fellow diners began to discuss what had just happened. "I do believe that I've discovered JR's Achilles heel" Cliff announced. "If there's strife in his marriage he'll have no appetite for business. He becomes distracted and that's when he's at his weakest." Marilee raised her eyebrow. "Cliff, what do you have planned?" she asked suspiciously. "Oh nothing, Marilee. The marriage will implode all by itself. You'll see" he lied, attempting to maintain the façade of innocence.

Marilee shook her head. "No, by all accounts at the DOA they're a devoted couple. He loves her and she loves him back. Could never understand the attraction though. Sue Ellen is one of the most boring women I have ever met and not even that pretty" she remarked cattily. "She has his son and heir though. Puts her in a powerful position. JR won't let her go without a fight" Andy interjected. "Cliff, I really think you're being unrealistic about the prospect of marital difficulties throwing JR out of kilter. If anything, it's just likely to make him even more dangerous." "Well we shall see, won't we?" Cliff answered, smiling smugly. Only he knew of the interest that was being shown in Sue Ellen by the man that he had employed to seduce her. If successful it would drive JR mad, he estimated before changing the subject back to a deal that the Kay brothers were offering to cut the Cartel in on.

Walking through the door of Southfork, JR was in a very good mood. He'd just sown the seeds of his next plan to humiliate Cliff and was now going to spend the afternoon with his wife and children. "Good afternoon. I know you said you'd be back a little earlier than usual today but I didn't think it would be this early" Sue Ellen told him as she came downstairs, holding Ella in her arms. She passed the little girl to her daddy, kissed him on the lips and went back up to fetch John Ross. "What do you want to do?" she asked. Before he could answer Ella piped up "pool!"

The couple smiled at one another. "Clever girl, Ella! Her language is coming on in leaps and bounds these days" Sue Ellen commented. "Well then, that's decided. Let's go and get changed." "Who's in?" JR asked as they made their way back upstairs. "Just us." JR flashed a wide, cheeky smile at her. "Alright then. Put one of your sexy bathing suits on, you know the ones that you normally save for the lake house" he told her. "Once these two are tired out and in need of their afternoon nap I'm taking you to bed. The sight of you in one of those swimsuits will get me right in the mood."

Tbc

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. No chapter tomorrow. Work to be done : (**


	193. Chapter 194

After an hour and a half of enjoyable play with the children in the pool Sue Ellen and JR agreed that nap time beckoned. "John Ross is shattered" JR remarked as he dried off, changed and then cuddled the little boy into him. Ella was somewhat harder work for her mama. Obviously resistant to the afternoon's play ceasing she stamped her little feet and began to wail. "Come on now Ella. Be a good girl for mama" Sue Ellen coaxed her gently. She had been reading about toddler tantrums and had decided to follow the parenting guidance that most of the mainstream books gave, which was to stay as calm as possible whilst at the same time remaining gently firm. JR watched in awe as his wife handled their strong-willed little daughter. She may be a young mother but she certainly was a capable one he thought, pleased by his wife's obvious competence.

Once the children were settled in the nursery JR decided it was time for some fun for themselves. He swept Sue Ellen up into his arms and carried her quickly to the bedroom. Setting her down on her feet when inside they began to kiss. Their kisses had an urgent and passionate character signalling that each of them wanted what was to happen next. JR broke off now and again to unfasten the buttons of the sundress that Sue Ellen had put on over her swimsuit. As he did so she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck which only served to increase her desire. She searched once more for his lips taking over the unbuttoning of the dress herself as he responded hungrily to her kisses.

Once undone she let the garment fall to the floor exposing the red bathing suit that she reserved for her husband's eyes only. She was aware of the effect it had on him by the subtle glances he had thrown at her when they were by the pool. She freed herself from it all the while watching as JR hurriedly undressed. Once naked JR lay her on the bed. Occasionally he let her take charge in their encounters but this time she knew he wanted to dominate.

JR wanted to enter her, to take her there and then, but he realised that this afternoon they had the luxury of time to elongate the pleasure for both of them. None of the rest of the family were in and the children would sleep for at least an hour, he calculated. He looked down at Sue Ellen. Her eyes were shining and her face was gently flushed with excitement. She smiled widely at him but didn't speak. She was his, to do whatever he wanted with her, he realised. He kneeled up. "Suck me sugar" he ordered, drawing nearer to her so that she could carry out his command.

He gasped as she took him in, sucking and licking hungrily and with obvious relish. "Do I taste good?" he growled. "Hmm hmm" she answered, her mouth still full of his engorged member. He closed his eyes but then decided it was more enjoyable to watch, especially when she looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes. As she increased speed he felt himself pulse. Not wanting it to end there he quickly withdrew. "You're getting way too good at that honey" he told her, kissing her once more. Now it was time for her to be pleasured, he decided. He left her mouth and worked his way down her body, lingering at her breasts to graze her nipples with his teeth. She moaned in response, stroking the back of his neck with one hand whilst grasping the sheet with the other.

Eventually he reached where he wanted to be. He parted her lips gently with his fingers and concentrated on her centre. In response, she arched her back and groaned his name. He felt her body stiffen. She was close to the edge he calculated. Caressing her with his tongue more quickly than before he sent her over. "JR! Oh yes!" she sighed as she shuddered in release. As she began to recover he assumed his original position once more and entered her causing her to gasp again. "Oh Sue Ellen, you feel so good" he told her, placing her arms above her head and pinning them to the bed with one hand. Her lack of resistance to his domination only aroused him further.

"I need to fuck you really hard" he told her as he began thrusting. She made no attempt to resist him. "Do it" she responded as he began to pound himself into her. "You're so warm, so soft and yet so tight" he informed her, slowing down momentarily to kiss her. "Just perfect, darlin" he murmured as he broke from the kiss and began to increase speed and intensity once more. He was gratified to note her response to his efforts. Eyes closed, she moaned softly and began to tighten around him. "Yes, JR, yes" she told him.

A warm hum deep inside her began. This time it would be more than the fleeting clitoral climax that he had given her before, she realised. Sensing her excitement JR carried on although he was dangerously close himself. For a second or two he forced himself to think about business so as not to come but his mind quickly took him back to where he was and what he was experiencing. She arched her back. She was on the edge, he thought, as he thrust deeply. He then withdrew quickly before thrusting himself sharply back into her again. "Oh my God!" she responded causing him to growl in delight at his success.

As she luxuriated in the waves of ecstasy that he had created for her he could hold on no longer. "Sue Ellen, I love you" he groaned as he spilled inside her. The sense of release was massive for both of them. They giggled as their climaxes subsided and then kissed. Rolling off her JR felt content and satisfied. No other woman had ever given him such happiness in bed, he mused as he pulled her in close for an embrace. "That was so good" she told him. "I'm glad that we didn't do it this morning when it would have been all rushed." Her words caused him to reflect on earlier events in the day in response to which he smiled wickedly. In just a few hours the gigolo masquerading as a ranch hand would be dealt with leaving the field wide open for him to go after Barnes, he mused. This time there would be complete ruination of the fool, he determined, before snuggling his wife to him and telling her once more how much he loved her.

Tbc

 **Sorry about the sporadic updates- it's that busy time of the year. Hoping to get some writing done over the break. If I don't update before Happy Christmas and thank you for your lovely reviews : )**


	194. Chapter 195

Hearing a loud knock on the door of his rented apartment Rob wondered who it might be that evening. He wasn't expecting anyone. He opened the door slightly ajar as a precaution but was sent backwards almost off his feet as the three men in attendance barged through. "Hey!" the young man protested. "We're the police and we have a search warrant in relation to these premises" Harry told him brusquely whilst waving the document in Rob's face.

"I don't understand? A search warrant for what?" "We have intelligence that you are dealing in narcotics from this property" Harry responded. At that the two officers with him began to move through the apartment, opening drawers and tipping furniture over recklessly. "Go ahead but hey be careful with my things! You'll find nothing here" Rob told them confidently. Harry stared at the man angrily. "We will do whatever we like. Our actions are in accordance with the law." Rob suddenly began to feel nervous. He made to enter the bedroom where the officers were now conducting their search to see what they were doing. "Don't move or I will arrest you for obstructing a police officer in the course of his duty" Harry warned. Rob stopped in his tracks immediately.

They stood together in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Harry's men were on instruction to make their actions look as legitimate as possible. To re-enter the living area too quickly would make the whole scenario appear bogus, they had been told. One of the men eventually emerged from the bedroom holding a large transparent plastic bag containing hundreds of white pills. "Hidden behind the cistern" he informed Harry as he handed the bag over. Harry tutted. "There must be over thirty thousand dollars' worth here. Well, well, who's been a bad boy then?" he asked, smiling wickedly.

"No!" Rob shouted. "It's a set up. I've never seen those before!" Before he could continue the second officer came back into the room, holding a smaller bag. "Cannabis. Found it under the mattress. Probably for personal use" he told Harry. "No! This is wrong! You've planted them here. This is all JR Ewing's doing, isn't it?" Rob protested, in realisation that he and Cliff had been found out.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't the first clue what you are on about. The fact is that you've been under covert surveillance for a while. The ranch hand who has a tidy side-line in drug dealing- peddling death and misery for personal gain. The likes of you are just scum" Harry responded before dealing the young man a heavy punch to the abdomen. Gasping for breath Rob had no choice but to submit as one of the other officers placed his hands behind his back and secured them with his cuffs.

As Harry formally arrested him and read him his rights Rob's head was swirling. He should never have become involved with Barnes. JR Ewing was way too clever for the pair of them. They should never have underestimated him. This was a disaster. He was facing years in jail for this, all because he had tangled with JR, he panicked as he permitted the officers to lead him downstairs to the car.

As the driver set off for the station Rob decided to try to bargain with the men. "Look, I know what's going on here and I have enough money to hire the smartest of defence lawyers to expose your corruption but I could just pay you the money instead and disappear from Dallas once and for all. That's all your employer wants really isn't it? Me out of the way from his lovely young wife" he bluffed. Harry turned around to face him and smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about, son, but I tell you what? Carry on in that vein and I'll have to arrest you for attempting to pervert the course of justice as well. Trying to bribe police officers from doing their duty is a very serious offence. I would have thought that you would have realised that you're in enough trouble as it is" he sneered.

Rob sat back in his seat defeated. These men would never cross JR Ewing. It would be the end for them if they did, he realised. "Oh and by the way. You're going to have to watch your handsome little ass in the cells tonight. There have been a lot of arrests this evening and you're not going to be on your own" Harry told him before he and his colleagues burst out laughing. "I want to make a phone call when we get there" Rob countered. "I know my rights!" Harry smirked. "Oh, you'll get your rights, young fella. Don't you worry" Harry informed him, conscious of JR's instruction that on no account was the young man to be able to contact Cliff Barnes to warn him.

Over at Southfork, JR was in a gleeful mood. "What's making you so pleased with yourself this evening?" Sue Ellen asked him as they followed the rest of the family into the dining room. "You are honey" he replied. "This afternoon you were on spectacular form. Made me very happy" he told her under his breath for fear of the others overhearing. He wasn't exactly lying, he told himself. Sue Ellen and he had had a very pleasurable hour together whilst the children were sleeping. However, it was what he knew was happening to Rob Adams right at that moment that was causing his good mood.

He drew Sue Ellen's chair out for her before taking a seat himself. The atmosphere around the table was rather more convivial than it had been of late, Sue Ellen noted happily. Seeing her sons working productively and harmoniously together at Ewing Oil was causing Miss Ellie's attitude towards them to soften. Sue Ellen knew that her mother-in-law remained sad over what had happened to Gary but time was healing her relationship with her other two sons, much to her relief and that of Pam. Even Lucy seemed more settled these days. Her awareness of what her uncles were doing for her and her father in running and making a success of the company was growing by the day. Whilst she couldn't exactly say that she liked JR she did appreciate that his actions were intended to be in the interests of the whole family and he was earning her respect for that.

"How was work today, Pam?" Miss Ellie asked. "Oh, the usual, Miss Ellie. We're getting ready for a mid-season sale so it's a question of choosing which items to mark down" Pam replied. She then looked excitedly at Bobby. Bobby nodded and smiled before Pam continued. "In fact, I'm stopping work shortly. I've given Liz my notice. Bobby and I are going to have a baby!" she announced, grinning from ear to ear.

Apart from JR the rest of the family reacted to Pam's news with genuine delight. Secretly JR had hoped that the couple would remain childless forever, leaving the way clear for his children to own and run the company in the future. However, he realised that to respond churlishly would be a mistake and would probably also put him in bother with his wife. "This calls for a toast!" he announced loudly. "Teresa, fetch some champagne please." Teresa did as she was told while Miss Ellie rustled up her finest champagne flutes. When the drinks had been poured, including one for Teresa and Raoul, JR held his glass aloft. "To the next generation of the Ewing family! Strength in numbers!"

The rest of the family smiled and returned the toast before resuming their seats to eat. As they did so the telephone rang. "Mr JR, it's for you" Raoul told him. JR didn't need to ask the servant for the identity of the caller. He already knew. He strode into the hall and picked up the receiver. "Harry?" he asked. "All done, JR. Charged and remanded in custody pending trial." "And Barnes?" "We ensured no contact whilst at the station. Arranged a lawyer for pretty boy ourselves. He tried to argue but gave up. He will be able to make calls from the remand prison though, once he has some money, so that only gives you a few days" Harry told him. "That's all I need, Harry" JR responded, smiling wickedly. "Great work, thank you. Collect the envelope from my secretary tomorrow. I'll put a bit extra in this time." "Why thank you, JR. I'm looking forward to working with you again. Good evening now."

Placing the receiver down, JR walked back into the dining room. "Who was that?" Bobby asked. "Oh, just a fella who has been doing a bit of research for me into drill bits, Bob. Now, let's eat dinner. I'm starving" JR lied, smirking to himself once more.

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	195. Chapter 196

JR studied his chief business analyst's report carefully before asking any questions. Re-reading the concluding paragraph, because he couldn't believe his luck, he sat back and smiled. "So, Joe, are you confident about the nature of this deal?" he asked. The other man nodded his head firmly yet reassuringly. "Oh yes, JR, it all looks attractive and legitimate at first blush on paper but the reality is it's a house of cards and will fall down spectacularly unless the buyer has the necessary collateral." "How much are we talking about then?" "To make any money you would have to play the long game and for that you'd need at least a couple of hundred million spare. The only winners here are the vendors. They take the cash and are home and free and, because it's just about lawful, there can be no prosecution for fraud or such like" the analyst answered. "And the losses if you don't have the necessary spare capital?" "I stand by what I have predicted in paragraph 33 of my report- 100 to 200 million dollars. JR, it's a no-brainer. I wouldn't advise Ewing Oil to go anywhere near this deal."

JR smiled again. "Oh, we won't Joe but I reckon I know a fool who would!" Standing up to shake his employee's hand, JR could barely prevent himself from bursting into laughter. He watched the man leave and then picked up the telephone to arrange a meeting. "Oil Barons' Club, 1pm Wednesday? Sounds good to me" he informed the person on the other end of the call. Ordinarily JR would have simply ignored what represented a bad deal whilst making a mental note to avoid whoever had offered it in the future but this time it was different. He was laying a trap.

Meanwhile Rob was becoming frantic. He had no money to make any calls and the Governor of the prison would only permit him to speak to his court appointed defence attorney for free. "Sir, I need to speak to somebody else. It's urgent. It's about posting bail for me." "How much is your bail?" the Governor asked. "Two hundred thousand dollars. I need to get out of here. I'm innocent." The Governor, a tough and uncompromising individual, threw his head back and laughed." "That's what they all say, Adams! Can't see anyone staking that much on you. Who is it that you want to call anyway?" Rob shook his head in defeat. "I don't want to say, sir." The Governor smirked. Clearly the young man had no prior experience of prison. He didn't even appreciate that all prisoners' calls were monitored. If he wanted to find out who the young man believed would post such a significant sum in bail for him he could do. He watched as the young man was escorted from his office. Very guilty, he concluded from the appraisal given to him of the case by the DA's office.

Two days later JR took his usual table at the Oil Barons' Club. It was ten to one and as yet there was no sign of the people he was to meet with or Cliff and the members of the Cartel. He sipped his bourbon coolly. They would all appear in a few minutes, he told himself. Wednesday had always been the traditional time for the Cartel to meet for lunch and talk business.

He watched carefully as one by one they were led to their usual table. The last to arrive was Cliff, in his capacity as agent for the Kay brothers. The Cartel had made a couple of deals with the Kays recently in which Cliff had acted as middleman and it was quite common these days for him to find himself invited to their lunches. JR smirked as he saw his enemy arrive. Cliff caught his gaze and lifted his glass to JR mockingly. JR raised his glass in response. He has no idea, JR mused as he watched Cliff take his seat.

Just then he saw the two Canadian men standing at the door explaining to Dora who they were and who they were due to meet. She led them through the busy restaurant to JR's table. Their arrival and their destination didn't go unnoticed by many of the diners. The two men certainly weren't the usual suspects with whom JR would meet to discuss business, several of them mused as they watched JR stand to greet them enthusiastically.

The presence of the men quickly attracted comment from those seated at the Cartel table. None of them knew who the men were but from the looks of it JR was mighty pleased to see them. Of all the assembled company, it was Cliff who was the most intrigued. The men had clearly come to discuss a deal with JR and what could be better than to have it stolen from under his nose at the same time as his marriage was coming under threat to throw him off balance, he schemed. "I'm going to do a little research into those two" he informed his fellow diners under his breath. "Anything that JR believes to be lucrative could be equally valuable to all of us."

"I'm not sure us going into battle with the Ewings is a good idea" Punk Anderson responded. "Against all the odds those two boys have done extremely well for the company. Is it really advantageous for us to become their enemies?" "Ha!" Marilee scoffed. "It's not all that long ago that the Ewings pulled the rug from underneath us. I have a long memory, you know, and I don't forgive easily. I say let Cliff get on with it and then we can decide." Marilee was still smarting from Bobby's unambiguous rejection of her advances towards him and these days JR was no fun either, she thought as she studied JR's and the other two men's interactions carefully. Whatever they were discussing seemed to be much to JR's interest.

Apart from Punk the other members agreed with Cliff and Marilee. Jordan Lee had always been a greedy and ruthless operator. He didn't care who he angered as long as he and his colleagues made a healthy profit. Andy Bradley, not the sharpest tool in the box, always went with the majority view and this time was no exception.

Over at his table JR feigned much interest in the detail of the Canadian deal. "You'll make a fortune, Mr Ewing" one of the men told him. "It sounds all good to me, however, I must consult my brother before a decision can be made. Give me a few days will you and then I'll let you know." The two men seemed pleased as they consulted the menu and made a toast with JR. Little did they know that he was stalling. From what he could tell his plan was working. Barnes and the Cartel seemed very interested in his discussions with the two strangers. A combination of the idiocy of Barnes and the greed of the Cartel might just prove to be their downfall, he schemed as he decided on what to eat.

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	196. Chapter 197

"I thought you should know, JR, that we have had a formal bid from someone else" the Canadian began. Ever careful to establish the facts JR listened to the detail that the man went into before responding. "Can I ask who our rivals are?" The Canadian man paused as if to decide whether to answer the question. "It's a Cartel of various business people from Dallas. They must have got wind of our discussions. Of course, we would rather deal with you and your brother than them but we are anxious to get this done for the reasons that we explained over lunch. Our tax liability for the last year is massive, casualties of our own success, but this means we need to offload certain investments as quickly as possible." Liar, JR thought, it's a sham deal and you know it.

"Can I ask you how much they are prepared to pay?" "The full asking price, JR. They are very keen." "And who in particular has taken the lead in the negotiations?" The man paused again but then decided to reply. "The Kay Brothers, well in reality Cliff Barnes. John Kay is semi-retired and his brother has never taken much interest." The man had done his research and was all too aware of the animosity between JR Ewing and Cliff Barnes. He hoped that the mention of the latter's name might prompt JR to behave impulsively and offer to close the deal there and then.

JR smiled wickedly to himself. Would Barnes never learn to avoid the traps he laid for him? He wondered. "I'm going to level with you then. Go with them. Ewing Oil doesn't have the capital to manage such a big investment at the moment owing to certain decisions that Bobby and I have had to take in the wake of our father's death. Sorry, it's just bad timing that's all. Maybe on another occasion we could do business? I hope there are no hard feelings." "No, not at all, JR. We'll be in touch in the future no doubt. Goodbye."

JR poured himself a celebratory drink. It had been worth the money to have the prison Governor block any calls from Rob to Cliff for the past few days. By the time the two of them did make contact it would be too late. The ink would be dry on the contract and the money transferred. If the members of the Cartel were so greedy as well as foolish to ally themselves to Barnes then they deserved to go down with him, he mused without a scintilla of guilt.

That evening he and Sue Ellen arrived for dinner at the Oil Barons' Club. Whilst he always enjoyed these dinner dates with his wife this evening's reservation had been made for an entirely different reason. He wanted to see whether Cliff had taken the bait fully. Admiring Sue Ellen's appearance as they entered the elevator he felt excited and exhilarated by the prospect of beating Cliff, this time once and for all. He pulled Sue Ellen to him and kissed her passionately on the lips. "I love you, honey. You look very beautiful tonight" he told her afterwards. Sue Ellen blushed at his forwardness in such a public environment before thanking him for the compliment.

The elevator doors opened to the club. JR could tell immediately that business that evening was brisk. The bar area was full of oilmen and their wives, many of them greeting the couple warmly with enquiries about the children which pleased Sue Ellen enormously. However, it was the celebratory, excited laughs and loud garrulous conversation further inside that attracted JR's attention. As they made their way to the table, guided by one of the usual hostesses, they saw them. "Seems like there's some big celebration going on over there" JR commented. The hostess nodded. "Yes sir, apparently the Cartel and the Kay brothers have just landed a big Canadian deal." JR's wicked smile in response was noted immediately by Sue Ellen who shot him a quizzical glance. JR said nothing but simply smiled back at his wife.

Behaving as casually as he could he drew out Sue Ellen's chair for her and then sat down himself. JR studiously avoided making eye contact with any of the people seated at the large table across the restaurant. If anything kicked off, he was determined not to be perceived by his wife as the one who had started it. Studying the menu and conversing with Sue Ellen about what they should order he waited. He didn't have to wait long.

Carrying a bottle of champagne and two flutes Cliff approached. "Hello JR! Sue Ellen, you look as lovely as usual!" he began. "Barnes, my wife and I are trying to have a quiet dinner here and I don't appreciate being disturbed" JR responded, stifling his amusement and feigning irritation instead. "Oh, I'm not going to disturb your dinner, JR. I just wanted you both to have this, to celebrate the most lucrative deal that we have ever made, a deal that Ewing Oil wasn't big enough or brave enough to take on!" Sue Ellen stared at her husband. It wasn't like JR, or Bobby even, to turn a good deal down, notwithstanding that it might involve an element of risk, she thought as she nervously watched Cliff place the bottle and the glasses down on their table.

"No thank you. We don't want or need your champagne. Now please leave us alone" JR replied tersely. By then their interactions had attracted the attention of the majority of the diners present and the restaurant suddenly became quiet. "Cliff, please" Sue Ellen asked "I don't want any trouble." "I know you don't Sue Ellen but you chose him to marry. Perhaps in a few months you will live to regret it. I mean, JR won't be the only wealthy and powerful young man to choose from. You could always run off with me!"

At that JR stood up and landed a forceful punch to Cliff's jaw sending him backwards and almost off his feet. "How dare you insult my wife!" he shouted in mock annoyance. Cliff stormed back towards him but was prevented from returning the blow by two security guards who had rushed over to the disturbance. "Now gentlemen, let's finish it at that. Mr Barnes please return to your table and leave Mr and Mrs Ewing in peace" one of them said, keen to restore order and appreciating the anxious expression adopted by Sue Ellen.

Cliff did as he was told, sneering all the time that he was the winner and the Ewings the losers. JR maintained the façade of irritation but inside he was exuberant. "Don't pay any attention to that idiot, sugar. He's the loser not me" he told Sue Ellen. "Why do I sense that you know something about that deal that Cliff doesn't?" she asked. "Oh, you know me, Sue Ellen, never one to rush into something without having considered all angles. If a deal looks too good to be true it usually is. Now, what are you going to have to eat?"

Tbc

 **Happy new year everyone! : )**


	197. Chapter 198

"You idiot!" Cliff shouted down the telephone. "Being caught with a stash of drugs just when things were going well. I never should have trusted you!" "No, Cliff, you don't understand. They were planted on me. JR must have found out why I was at Southfork. I need to get out of here though. Will you post bail for me? Please?"

"No chance. You're on your own now. If I posted bail for you it would be a matter of public record. How do you think JR would react to that?" Rob sighed. He had always been aware of Cliff's limitations but this took the biscuit. "He almost certainly knows that you were the one employing me, Cliff. Why would he go to all that trouble to have me framed? If I were you I'd watch my back. Now if you're not going to help me there's no point in continuing with this conversation." At that he slammed the telephone back on the receiver and pushed his way past the growing line of dangerous looking inmates waiting for their turn.

Trying to comprehend the position he was in, Cliff sat down and stared into space. Why was it that JR Ewing always managed to thwart him, he wondered, chin rested on the palms of his hands. He was indeed going to have to be vigilant because JR had probably not even started with him and Adams yet. Suddenly his thoughts wandered to that night in the Oil Barons' Club and JR's apparent nonchalance about losing out on the Canadian deal. A knot of dread took hold of his stomach as he jumped up and went over to the filing cabinet. Taking a file from one of the drawers he resumed his seat and began poring through the documentation. What had he missed? He panicked. What was it that JR knew about that deal that caused him to avoid it and send it their way?

He couldn't see anything amiss at first although he appreciated that he wasn't exactly studying the papers with a clear head. He quickly flipped through his address book, picked up the telephone and dialled a number. "Steve? It's Cliff Barnes here. How are you doing?" The man on the other end greeted him politely and asked what he could do for him. "I just want some advice, that's all. It has to be kept completely confidential though. Can I come and see you please?" Cliff asked. "Tomorrow, yes that's great. I'll send copies of what I want you to look at by courier. Should arrive late this afternoon. Just to give you the heads up. Oh, and thank you."

Cliff sat back in his chair. If anyone could spot a flaw in that deal it would be his old college friend, Steve Wood, one of the most astute business analysts in the State and recently appointed as Honorary Professor of Business Studies at the University of Texas. Damn, he thought, if only he'd had the sense to consult him before he bit on that deal and persuaded the Cartel to go in on it with him. Bet JR had taken advice before passing on it, he contemplated sadly.

"Come in" he responded to an unexpected knock at the door. It was his secretary, Jackie. "Cliff, Pam's here. She's asking to see you. Is it alright if I show her in?" "Yes of course" he responded, adjusting his tie and pulling on his jacket. He didn't want his younger sister to detect any sign of anxiety, panic even, in him.

He watched his sister enter the office. She looked radiant and happy, which surprised him given all she had been through at home lately, he mused, as he beckoned her in and offered her refreshment. "Cocktail? Glass of wine maybe? It's almost lunchtime." The truth was he needed a drink to steady his nerves but did not wish Pam to suspect that anything might be wrong. She shook her head. "No thank you but I will take a club soda. Feel free yourself" she told him, slightly puzzled by the somewhat manic way that he was behaving.

Cliff poured Pam's drink followed by a large Scotch. "So, what can I do for you little sis?" he asked, attempting to appear casual. Pam smiled widely. "I have some good news, Cliff. I've already been to see daddy but I asked him not to call you because I wanted to let you know in person. You're going to be an uncle!" "That's, that's wonderful, Pam" Cliff stuttered. "Is everything alright? I mean after last time?" "My doctor says everything is fine. She's optimistic I can get this baby to full term. She performed a small procedure which hopefully will reduce the risk of miscarriage. Cliff, Bobby and I are so excited!"

Cliff suddenly felt conflicted. He was happy for his sister and excited to become an uncle however the child would be a member of that family, a Ewing, exposed to the rottenness of the way they operate and expected to have allegiance only to them, he mused, as he took a decent slug of his drink. "So, tell me all about it. How far along are you?" he asked, trying to appear interested although the reality was that his thoughts were somewhere else entirely. Pam began to speak but Cliff took in hardly a word of what she was telling him because his mind was preoccupied with the events of earlier that morning and the growing, sick feeling that JR had once again set him up. "Perhaps dinner, you, me, daddy and Bobby? To build some bridges?" Pam finished, eying up her brother's expression suspiciously. "Yes, if you like" he answered. "Call me when you've consulted your husband about a date." Pam stood up to leave at which Cliff approached her and gave her a warm hug. "I am really pleased for you, you know. It's just that I've got quite a bit going on here at the moment. I love you, Pam." "I love you too, Cliff" she replied, growing ever more suspicious at what lay behind her brother's odd demeanour.

He walked her to the door but, before she could say goodbye, he felt compelled to ask her the obvious question. "Pam, how did JR take the news?" "Oh, quite well, really. Very vocal about the expansion of the family" she responded. I bet he was, Cliff doubted but didn't actually reply. "Bye Pam. Remember, take really good care of yourself."

The cell door buzzed before it opened. Rob quickly sat up from his bed. "Looks like your lucky day, pretty boy" a guard told him. "Bail's just been posted for you. You're going home, at least for now." "Who?" Rob asked. His mind was racing. Had Cliff had a change of heart? Unlikely, he reckoned. The guard shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. We've just had word from the court. Think yourself lucky."

Taking his things Rob beat a hasty exit into the street that lay ahead. He had only one thing on his mind now. Revenge.

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	198. Chapter 199

"What do you mean?" JR roared down the telephone. "Who in the hell posted bail for him? Don't tell me it was that idiot Barnes?" "No sir, it was a Mrs Elizabeth Stirling" Harry responded, flustered by his employer's rage. "We've done a little research. She's a wealthy widow from Houston, probably a client whom he's persuaded to help him." JR tutted. He hadn't foreseen such a development and the fact irked him. It wasn't very often that he made mistakes or failed to pre-empt his enemies' next moves. "I want him watched, Harry, very carefully. I'm also going to increase my personal security and that of the family while he's at large." "Yes sir, any developments and you'll be the first to know." JR hung up and then slammed his fist on the desk in temper. Would Adams attempt to take some form of revenge, he wondered. Would he have the gall to try to take him on once more? Surely not, he thought, but then a pang of anxiety hit him. It wasn't worth taking the risk he resolved as he began to look through his address book, ready to make the necessary calls.

Suddenly, JR realised that there would have to be some sort of explanation. Lucy being escorted to and from school by armed ranch hands, the rest of the women being told to remain at home and not venture out and the placing of guards at the entrance to and around the perimeter of Southfork was bound to provoke extreme anxiety and numerous questions. He decided that the first person he would have to speak to was Bobby.

Putting on his jacket and adjusting his tie he exited his office and knocked on Bobby's door. He didn't wait to be invited in before entering. Bobby was on the telephone but something about his brother's demeanour influenced him to terminate the call politely. "JR? What is it?" Bobby asked. "Can I sit down? There's something I need to discuss with you" JR answered. Bobby gestured to the seat opposite. "Sure. JR, you seem worried. Is it the company?" Bobby asked, suspicious that his older brother had done something unwise in his business dealings.

JR shook his head. "No Bob, everything here is just fine. However, I do have something to tell you and you're not going to like it but we need to stand together on this because it affects the family, my wife and children, yours and mama and Lucy." Bobby felt a mixture of worry and intrigue. What could his brother have got up to, he wondered, moving forward in his seat indicating his keen interest in what JR was about to say.

After asking Bobby not to interrupt until his explanation was complete, when he would then be able to ask whatever he wanted, JR began. He chose his words deliberately and carefully, gauging his younger brother's increasing incredulity and then anger as he proceeded to tell the sorry tale of Cliff's bargain with Adams and his own subsequent quest for revenge. "So, that's why we are going to have to up the security at Southfork for the women and the children, Bobby, at least for the time being and some sort of explanation will have to be made so as not to alarm them. Do you understand?"

"Is that it, JR?" Bobby asked angrily, standing to make his point. "You embark on an illegal and dangerous course of action just to exact revenge and you expect me to support you? Why should I? Tell me? Why should I not just pack myself and Pam off on an extended vacation and leave you to deal with this by yourself?" he raged. "Because we're family and don't tell me that you would leave mama, Lucy and Sue Ellen at risk, not to mention Ella and John Ross! Besides your idiot brother-in-law is just as responsible, if not more so, as I am for this, erm, situation that we find ourselves in" JR argued. If needs be he'd take a punch from his younger brother, he rationalised, if that's what it would take to obtain his assistance.

Bobby banged his hand on the desk, conscious of the temptation to knock JR out instead. As usual his jealousy of Sue Ellen combined with his hatred of Cliff had led his elder brother down a dark and dangerous path. Were it not for the guilt if anything bad did happen to his innocent family members he would have told JR in no uncertain terms to get lost but family loyalty had been deeply instilled in him from an early age and he realised that the two of them would have to stand together in this instance.

"God damn you, JR! Why is it that I always have to defend your sordid schemes?" he responded dejectedly. "Bob, I'm sorry. I promise I'll never do anything like this again. I've learnt my lesson" JR stated obsequiously, relieved that his brother was agreeing to come to his aid. "So, what do we do now?" Bobby asked. "I've contacted our usual security company about the arrangements here for you and I. I suggest we involve Ray and the ranch hands for security at Southfork. They are trustworthy and loyal but more than that it wouldn't alarm the women as much as professional guards being brought in" JR suggested, studying his brother's expression closely for a response.

"That's all well and good, JR, but there are bound to be questions. What are we going to say?" Bobby asked doubtfully. "That we have received intelligence to suggest that there may be a heightened threat to the safety of the family and that we are putting these measures in temporarily just as a precaution" JR responded. "It's going to worry them all though, isn't it, and my Pammy shouldn't be under such strain in her condition. Why can't we send them all on vacation, somewhere a long way from here, with discreet surveillance?" Bobby suggested. "No" JR stated firmly. "They are safest at home, with us to protect them."

"And Cliff? Apart from the fact that I want to rip his head off right now, as Pam's brother should he not be informed of the risk?" "He can go to hell!" JR replied angrily. "We owe him nothing. If Adams decides to go after the idiot I say let him fend for himself! Now, we ought to call it a day and get home. I'll speak to Ray from the car."

JR was confident that all would be well given the speed of his reaction to the news that Adams was a free man once again. However, hell was already breaking loose at Southfork, a reality that he and Bobby would have to confront as they made their way home.

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	199. Chapter 200

With Raoul and Teresa locked in the pantry Rob confidently ushered the Ewing women into the living room by pointing his gun at them. "If it's money you want we can get that for you" Miss Ellie told him, placing her arm around Lucy who was trembling and trying very hard not to cry. Sue Ellen grasped Pam's hand in an effort to comfort her sister-in-law. Had she not just resigned from her post at The Store owing to her pregnancy she wouldn't have been present and under threat right now, she thought.

"Oh, yes Mrs Ewing I need money, some serious money but before that I believe I'm entitled to have a little fun, considering everything I've been through recently" the young man told them, tightening his grip around the pistol in order to press his point. Sue Ellen and Pam glanced at one another, each of them sharing the same thought. He was disgruntled at being run off the ranch by JR for over-familiarity with Sue Ellen but did that really justify such an extreme response?

He motioned for them to sit down. Shakily they obeyed. Pam eyed up the telephone on the side table close to the drinks trolley. If only she could get over to it and dial 911, she calculated. An emergency call emanating from Southfork would be bound to prompt a rapid response from the Sheriff's Department. He noticed her and responded by ripping the wire out of the wall. Commanding them to stay where they were he walked into the entrance hall and did the same with the telephone placed on the table there. "Oh, no you don't ladies!" he warned them. "Don't even think about doing anything stupid because right now I'm on the edge and anything could happen!"

Sue Ellen's mind was racing. Upstairs her two children were taking their afternoon nap. Part of her wanted them with her where she could protect them but the other part told her that they were safer where they were, at least for the time being.

Rob stalked over to the couch upon which the two young women were seated. "Which one will it be then?" he asked. "Pretty little Pamela, the shop girl with the devious yet stupid brother or the former Miss Texas, the beauty who married for money not love? Or maybe both?" he announced malevolently. Sue Ellen tightened her grasp on Pam's hand as the latter began to weep silently.

He drew nearer causing both to shake in fear. "You're up for it, Sue Ellen, aren't you? Having a real man for once in your life?" he asked, tracing his pistol around the outline of the neck of her blouse before pausing to use his free hand to unfasten the two top buttons. He grunted at the sight of her cleavage. Sue Ellen scrambled to regain her modesty but he pushed her hands away roughly. "Leave it" he ordered.

He turned to Pam and stroked her cheek. "Or what about you, darling? Shall I spoil you for Golden Boy? You're not like Sue Ellen are you though? You've been around the block a few times, at least that's what the ranch hands have said" he whispered evilly. "So, who's going to be first?"

Seeing the panic -stricken expressions on the faces of her daughters-in-law Miss Ellie decided to intervene. "Enough now!" she shouted. "You've had your fun. I'll take you to where the money is kept, there's jewellery aplenty as well. You can have the lot!" Rob shook his head. "All in good time, Mrs Ewing. I told you I deserve more, to pay back your son for what he did to me." Lucy shrieked in terror and buried her face in her grandmother's shoulder. Her two aunts recoiled further back into their seats, hands still grasped tightly together.

"So who's it going to be first?" he asked, licking his lips lasciviously. Aware of her sister-in-law's condition Sue Ellen wrenched her hand from Pam's and rose to her feet. Rob smiled. She was always the one he wanted, not that he wouldn't be interested in the other woman if time permitted. "Sue Ellen, don't!" Pam pleaded. "She wants to, don't you Miss Texas?" Rob laughed. As he pushed his gun against the small of Sue Ellen's back he issued a warning to the other women. "Don't be tempted to do anything stupid, now. It might cause me to become very angry with Sue Ellen and we don't want that do we? Just sit there nice and quiet and all will be well."

As he led Sue Ellen to the den JR followed by Bobby received frantic, whispered calls to their car telephones. In his haste to deal with the staff Rob had failed to notice the handset in the pantry. It was Raoul who decided that the risk must be taken to alert the two men to their predicament and that of the rest of the family. Each accelerated sharply towards home before calling the Sheriff's Department. The reality was that by that time JR and Bobby were nearer to Southfork themselves than the officers who were rapidly mobilising into action.

Abandoning their vehicles at the entrance to the ranch in the interests of stealth JR and Bobby made their way towards the house rapidly on foot.

"Get undressed" Rob demanded, having pushed Sue Ellen into the den and closed the door. "I mean it, honey. I want to see you, all of you." "You're making a massive mistake, Rob" Sue Ellen countered. "My husband can be a dangerous man when he wants to be. If you do this he will kill you. You do know that, don't you? Why don't you just take the money and run?" she informed him, stalling for time, hoping against hope for rescue before he could do what he intended.

"Ah I know better than most what your husband is capable of, Sue Ellen, and I want to re-pay him for what he did to me, having me framed as a drug dealer and then banged up in jail, all because he wanted me away from you. Now be a good girl and do as you're told." She stared at him incredulously. Would JR really go that far to deal with someone he regarded as an enemy, she wondered, as she began to undo her blouse deliberately slowly.

Rob smirked as he watched. "Hurry up now. I'm getting impatient, Sue Ellen" he demanded, waving the gun at her. All those things he had fantasised about doing to her he was about to do there and then. He calculated that still left him plenty of time to take the money and go. By the time that JR and Bobby had come home all that would be left was the wreckage to deal with, he schemed. Then there was Barnes to punish before going away, abroad, to make a new life for himself with the money to do so. South America had its attractions he thought, his erection growing as Sue Ellen slowly and tearfully got down to her lingerie.

"Lie on the sofa" he commanded, removing his belt as he continued to ogle her. "Rob, please don't do this. You don't understand the consequences for you if you do" Sue Ellen begged, disobeying his last command. Taking her by the shoulders he threw her down onto the sofa and began to unzip his fly. Sue Ellen burst into tears as he lay on top of her. Legs clamped shut, she began to struggle in response to which he slapped her sharply across the face. She wriggled one hand free and scratched his face. This only served to increase his arousal. "That's right sweetheart, fight me" he growled, prising her legs apart and moving her panties to one side. She didn't possess the strength to fight him, she realised. This was going to happen and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

As she braced herself for the worst suddenly it was all over. JR and Bobby, assisted by Ray, had stormed into the room and dragged him off her. Sue Ellen watched in terror as the three men attacked her assailant, raining punches and kicks down on him as he lay on the floor. She noted him reaching for the gun that had fallen from his hand in the commotion. "JR!" Sue Ellen shrieked. "The gun!" JR made to kick it away from Rob's grasp but was too late. Taking aim, he fired just before Ray could disarm him by stamping on his hand, breaking it as he did so.

"Oh no! He's been shot! Get help!" were the last words Sue Ellen heard before, head swimming, she collapsed into a faint.

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	200. Chapter 201

Chaos and confusion reigned over the scene at Southfork. As Sue Ellen began to come to the presence of police officers and paramedics became evident. In a flash, she recalled the last words that she had heard before she fainted. Sitting bolt upright she began to try to make sense of what she was seeing.

Three paramedics appeared to be tending to a person lying on the den floor. The wails emanating from Miss Ellie, Pam and Lucy were piercing. "JR?" Sue Ellen shrieked, panic engulfing her. Suddenly he was by her side, apparently unhurt. A wave of relief washed over her only to be replaced almost instantaneously by guilt and then panic. She turned to her husband who was hurriedly attempting to preserve her modesty with a blanket that one of the staff had fetched. His face was ashen as he made eye contact with her and shook his head sadly.

"JR?" she repeated. "Bobby's been shot" was all he could respond. She made to stand but couldn't. Her legs wouldn't work. JR held out his arm to her in a protective action to prevent her from falling. Suddenly there was movement from the floor. "We have to get him to the hospital" a male paramedic informed the family. "How bad is it?" Miss Ellie asked, her voice choked with tears. The paramedic shook his head. "He's already lost a lot of blood. The surgeons are on standby. That's all I can say. I'm sorry."

"My wife needs to be checked over" JR announced, taking hold of Sue Ellen's arm. She shrugged him off. "No I don't. I'm perfectly fine. Nothing happened" she responded abruptly, the words of her attacker concerning her husband suddenly falling back into place. Was all of this JR's fault? Had his actions caused her brother-in-law to be wounded, possibly fatally, and she almost raped?

"Honey…" he tried to argue. "Let me get dressed, JR. I want to go to the hospital to be with Bobby and the rest of the family" she told him, rebuffing his attempt to take hold of her hand. "I'm going in the ambulance with Bobby" Pam told them. "So am I" Miss Ellie replied. "Lucy, darling, you stay here with Ray. He'll look after you dear." Lucy was going to protest but there was something about her grandmother's demeanour that told her it would do no good. In any event the last thing that the young girl wanted was to cause any more upset. Instead, she nodded her head tearfully in assent.

"We will need to take witness statements from you all as soon as possible" the Sheriff informed them. "Not now, Sheriff" JR replied. "Can't you see that the women are traumatised? Now, we need to get to the hospital." The Sheriff nodded in deference to the family's upset. Whatever had gone on here could be investigated later, he pondered as he watched his colleagues throw Rob in the van ready for transportation to the station.

Sue Ellen rose unsteadily to her feet shunning JR's attempt to help her. "I'm going to check on Teresa and the children and then get dressed" she told him coldly. "Then I'm going to the hospital." JR began to follow her upstairs. Once they had ascended sufficiently to be out of earshot Sue Ellen spoke again. "I'm going by myself, JR. I don't want you anywhere near me right now." Realising that something had been said to implicate him which she had picked up on JR began to protest. "No, Sue Ellen, you aren't fit to drive yourself. I insist on taking you. I need to explain."

She glared back at him in disgust but didn't attempt to argue. Her jitteriness on the way upstairs was enough to convince her that he was right about that at least. After checking on her children who had remained largely oblivious to the commotion that had just occurred she walked into the bedroom and threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans. JR watched from the doorway, conscious of his wife's palpable anger towards him. As she hurriedly brushed through her hair he tried to speak once more. "Sue Ellen…."

"No don't, JR. I don't have to listen to what you have to say" she told him, holding her hand up in rebuke. She pushed past him, pausing to pick up her purse and leaving him to follow on behind. Striding on ahead of him she made her way to his car, still abandoned at the entrance to the ranch, and got in. As he followed suit she pointedly stared out of the passenger window, signalling her refusal to make eye contact with him. JR sighed despairingly. If only she would allow him to explain, he mused as he reversed and then re-joined the highway, accelerating smoothly off into the distance.

Still she continued to stare out of the window as they left Braddock behind and approached the city. In desperation, he tried to touch her hand but she recoiled from him instantly. She did the same upon arrival at Dallas Memorial as he attempted to assist her to exit the vehicle. They were met by a pack of reporters and photographers, the first to get wind of the exciting story that was developing concerning the Ewing family. Running the gauntlet of the men and women assembled Sue Ellen briefly felt unsure of herself and drew closer to JR. "Mr Ewing, any comment on what has happened to your younger brother?" one of them asked. "Mrs Ewing, is it true that you were assaulted?"

Continuing to walk, JR placed his arm around his wife's shoulder. "No comment. Leave her alone" he warned a photographer who was getting a little too close to Sue Ellen for comfort. As soon as they entered the building, no longer needing him as her shield, she withdrew from him once again. Through the maze of corridors, their stomachs in knots, they hurried to where the nurse on reception had told them Bobby was.

As they approached Miss Ellie turned to face them, followed by Pam. "Where is he?" JR demanded. "In theatre. JR, it's not looking good" his mother told him tearfully. "How could something so dreadful have happened? Why would that young man want to behave like he did towards us, Sue Ellen especially? I don't understand!"

Unable to maintain her silence any longer, and before JR could answer, Sue Ellen spoke. "This is all his fault, Miss Ellie, isn't it JR? Now is the time for explanation, before the police become involved and this dreadful situation becomes even worse!"

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	201. Chapter 202

Closing the door to the private waiting room that had been offered and all too conscious of the anguish upon the others' faces, JR sat down. Gesturing to the others to sit too he began to embark slowly and carefully on the elaborate sequence of events that had led to the current situation. "So, as ever, you dealt with the ranch hand in your inimitable fashion owing to your irrational jealousy of Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie interjected with anger and incredulity.

Remaining calm despite a biting and increasing sense of injustice JR continued. "No mama, here is where we get to the hard part. It wasn't just a case of a ranch hand taking a fancy to my wife. I mean for goodness sake I'd have just had him thrown off the ranch, perhaps beaten up as well to teach him a lesson but no, it wasn't that simple. He was working for someone. He'd inveigled himself onto Southfork at the direction of someone else…"

"Who?" Sue Ellen asked, irritated but at the same time confused. "Her brother" he replied flatly, looking directly at Pam. "Don't be ridiculous!" Pam retorted. "Why would Cliff plant a man at Southfork? To what end? Oh, it's always so convenient isn't it to lay the blame at the door of the Barnes family. This is all your fault, JR, admit it for once in your life!"

"I always knew you were stupid, Pamela, but this marks a new low" JR responded through gritted teeth. "I have the evidence in photographic format. Your idiot brother was employing that man to pay attention to Sue Ellen, to ruin my marriage and no doubt distract me from the rebuilding of the company as well as to seek revenge!" Silence descended on the room as the three women attempted to come to terms with what they had just been told. Before any of them could speak JR continued. "You see if my little brother dies on that operating table it's all his fault, not mine, and you can take it as read that the war that has raged to date between our families will be as of nothing compared to what is yet to come!"

"This is unreal, JR, like some sort of bizarre nightmare!" Miss Ellie stormed, rising to her feet in temper. "How many times have I told you in the past that the Barnes-Ewing feud needed to end, for all our sakes? Why did you not just have that man, that animal, thrown off the ranch? That would have sufficed to thwart any ideas that Cliff might have had but, oh no, that could never be enough for you, JR. There had to be more. You just had to crush him, didn't you?"

Pam began to cry which prompted her mother-in-law to go over to her. Struck suddenly by the fact that her husband perhaps did not deserve the tirade that they were subjecting him to, Sue Ellen moved to sit down next to him. "Let's go and get some coffee, JR" she suggested to him. "I want to talk to you alone, in private." Unsure of his reaction and appreciating that it was his turn to be indignant, at least in part, she was relieved when he made to stand. "Can we get you anything?" she asked. Pam and Miss Ellie shook their heads tearfully.

As they left the room and entered the corridor Sue Ellen placed her hand gently on JR's arm, causing him to pause. "JR, wait" she told him. "I want to ask you something. Why did you not tell me all of this? I'm your wife, JR. Does that count for nothing?" He shook his head sadly. "I wanted to protect you, honey, after all you've been through. I didn't want to worry you. Putting that man behind bars was designed to keep him right away from you and the children. I knew Barnes would never post bail for him but couldn't have foreseen that someone else would. As soon as I was informed that he was out I took action. That's why Bobby and I were on our way home just as it was happening, to bolster security for all of you."

"You were nearly too late, where I'm concerned" she replied but, rather than anger, her words had a gentler, more forgiving tone. "He didn't, did he?" JR asked anxiously. "Would it make a difference if he had?" she asked. He shook his head. "Only in that I would have killed him." "Well he didn't. You were just in time, only just though. JR, what have you done about Cliff Barnes?"

Realising she knew him far better than he appreciated JR decided to be honest. "I've only ruined him financially. He doesn't realise it yet but he will do in a month or two's time as will the pariahs from the Cartel. He will be persona non grata in Dallas in no time flat." "What did you do?" she asked anxiously. "Nothing direct. I hooked him in on a deal he can't handle that he perceived he was stealing from Ewing Oil and, as usual, his combination of greed and stupidity ensured he fell for it. Honey, I had to defend my family. Call me ruthless, evil even, but I'm not going to accept that what I did was wrong. Even Bobby could see that."

Sue Ellen sighed. Why did life as a Ewing, as JR's wife, have to be so complicated, so traumatic, she wondered as they reached the café. "What are we going to do? If Bobby doesn't make it?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears. JR shook his head. "I can't think about that right now. He just has to pull through. Without his support I'm not sure I can run the company by myself. It's a supreme irony that it took daddy's death to bring us back together, as brothers and business partners, not rivals. Sue Ellen I just can't contemplate losing him" he responded earnestly. "I was angry with you earlier. I'm still angry with you to an extent, JR, but we need to stand together, as husband and wife. I'm sorry." "So am I, sugar, truly I am."

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	202. Chapter 203

As JR and Sue Ellen made their way back to the waiting room they saw Pam walking towards a payphone. "Are you alright Pam?" Sue Ellen asked but her question was ignored. She was tempted to hang around, as support, but JR tugged her arm to signal that they should carry on walking. He knew what Pam was doing. She had stewed on what he had to say about her brother and was now investigating the matter herself, no doubt anxious for a denial. If he did deny it JR always had the photographic evidence supplied by Harry and his colleague, he mused.

"Any news, Miss Ellie?" Sue Ellen asked as she entered the room in which her mother-in-law was still sitting, head in hands, rocking backwards and forwards in a self-comforting motion. Miss Ellie looked up and nodded her head. "A nurse came a minute or two ago and simply said he is still in surgery. There was a lot of internal bleeding that has had to be stemmed." Whilst her response to his wife had been spoken kindly JR was dismayed to witness his mother shoot him the filthiest of looks. Choosing not to react he sipped his coffee instead and nervously inspected his watch. How much longer, he wondered, recalling the times when Sue Ellen and his baby son had been in the operating theatre, when every minute longer was agony and where he had no control over the outcome. This felt just the same.

Sue Ellen patted his hand to soothe him. She was still a little angry with him but couldn't help feel bad for him. As he'd asserted he had only tried to protect the family. Suddenly her thoughts turned to her mother. The incident would be splashed all over the press by now, she worried. She should really call her mother to reassure her but the truth was she couldn't face the barrage of questions that would be bound to come her way. She resolved to leave the call until later, when more was known about Bobby's condition, when hopefully there would be good news to tell her.

As she lifted the Styrofoam cup once more to her lips JR noted that she was shaking, just a little at first, but then harder until the hot liquid began to spill out onto her hand. "Sue Ellen?" he asked anxiously, taking the cup from her to prevent her from being burnt any further. Sue Ellen looked at him worriedly. "JR I can't stop trembling" she told him, placing both palms down flat on her knees in an attempt to regain control over them. "What's wrong, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked. "You're not hurt, are you?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "I'm fine, Miss Ellie, thank you. Just a bit shaken up I think" she lied.

JR reached over and grasped her hand tightly in his however, by now, her entire body was shaking. "She's traumatised" he announced, realising that delayed shock from her ordeal was now hitting her, profoundly and hard. Miss Ellie jumped up from her seat, entered the corridor and waylaid a passing female doctor. "It's my daughter-in-law!" she informed the woman. "She needs help, now!"

Given a garbled but just comprehensible explanation the doctor entered the waiting room to find Sue Ellen almost hysterical. JR was attempting to comfort her but to little avail as she kept pushing him away from her. "Mrs Ewing" the doctor began "you're in shock. Let me help you." "What are you going to do?" JR asked. "I suggest a mild sedative first off. Thereafter, in the longer term she may need some sort of psychological therapy" the doctor answered authoritatively. "Please, get on with it. I don't want her to be in such distress" JR demanded.

The doctor excused herself for a moment to fetch what was needed. Miss Ellie stared at her son. There was hate in her eyes. "Mama, please, you have to believe me. I could never have predicted this. You know I would never want to see Sue Ellen harmed?" Before Miss Ellie could respond the doctor reappeared holding a syringe in her hand. She quickly rolled up Sue Ellen's sleeve and inserted the needle deftly into her arm, dispensing the liquid therein. The drugs had an almost instantaneous effect upon her patient who began to struggle to keep her eyes open. "She needs to be taken to a side room to rest now" the doctor told them. JR nodded in agreement, relieved that his wife had been put out of her misery, at least temporarily.

As two hospital porters arrived with a gurney Miss Ellie spoke. "Go with your wife, JR. At the end of the day all of this is your fault and if Sue Ellen suffers a breakdown on your conscience be it. You can be the one to pick up the pieces" she told him sternly.

JR did as he was told, following the medical staff meekly as Sue Ellen was wheeled out. As they got through the door Pam returned. "Oh no!" she shrieked. "Is Sue Ellen going to be alright?" "Of course, she will" JR retorted angrily. "No thanks to your brother. So, tell me, Pamela, has he confirmed his part in this yet? Tell me? Did he have the guts to tell the truth for once in his miserable life? Or do I have to show you the evidence?"

Pam didn't want to relay the conversation she had just had with Cliff to her brother-in-law because she realised that it would result in JR feeling vindicated, something that her innate loyalty to her family and her animosity towards her brother-in-law felt objectionable to her. "Attend to your wife, JR. Talk of what my brother has and hasn't done can wait until later" Pam countered bluntly.

The truth was that Pam had to extract the confession that ultimately came from her older brother. Denial and fake surprise at what had happened was his first response. Then came the protests that he was blamed for everything that went wrong in the lives of the Ewing family. Finally, realising that he had been caught out yet again by JR when Pam asked about the photos of him meeting Adams, he had been forced to admit the part he had played in the disaster. Pam had terminated the call by slamming the phone down on Cliff. Her parting words, amidst floods of angry tears, were that if she lost her husband, the father of her unborn child, she would wish nothing more to do with him.

After watching her sister-in-law being taken away, Pam returned to Miss Ellie. Before she could speak, to explain what she had been doing, a team of medics, led by a surgeon still wearing blood-stained operating gear, walked into the room.

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	203. Chapter 204

JR watched intently as Sue Ellen slept. It wasn't her usual sleep which was deep and serene though. This time she was restless and fitful as if re-living her ordeal in her dreams. He grasped her hand to soothe her and swept her fringe gently away from where it was falling into her eyes. It was then that he noticed reddening to one of her cheeks. It had the quality of a slap mark, he fumed.

He sighed to himself, guilt over what had happened to her washing over him, causing him to cringe internally every time he thought about it. But for the staff she would have been violated, his wife, the mother of his children. It was unthinkable but at the same time almost a reality. How would she have responded to such an insult, he wondered. Badly, he concluded. In some ways, Sue Ellen was strong. She had borne two extremely difficult pregnancies, almost died in the process of bringing their son into the world, however in other ways she was vulnerable, her cosseted life with him having protected her from the bad things that happened in the world.

He glanced at his watch. He didn't want to leave her but time was going by fast and still there had been no word of his brother. He seethed when he reflected on how they had all got here. Sure, he had almost certainly ruined Cliff Barnes but at that point financial ruin didn't seem to be enough. He wanted to go to him, to kill him. If Bobby died he would contemplate very seriously hiring a professional to do the job for him, he resolved, such would be his ire.

Suddenly the door opened. It was his mama. He rose quickly to his feet. Miss Ellie spoke before he could. "He's out of surgery. He's lost a lot of blood and there was a slight lesion to one of his kidneys which they have fixed. The surgeon is, how did he phrase it now? Yes, I know, cautiously optimistic." "Thank the Lord!" JR exclaimed, at once relieved but then afterwards still frightened. He had meant what he had said to Sue Ellen about Bobby. He needed his brother, not only in business but in other ways as well. If there was even the slightest chance that he might not pull through, he couldn't bear to think about it.

"Pam's with him. Do you want me to stay here while you go and see him? They're not letting us stay long. They have said he needs to rest" Miss Ellie informed him, the sternness in her voice still evident. JR nodded. "Yes, thank you mama." Stooping to kiss his wife's cheek and whisper his assurance that he would be back, he left the room.

Miss Ellie took a seat and looked sadly at her daughter-in-law. Sue Ellen had been so brave, she mused, going off with that monster. She's still so young too, yet so mature, early motherhood having forced her to face responsibilities far more quickly than most young women her age. However, there remained an innocence about her, things she had said or hinted at had convinced Miss Ellie that JR had been the first and only man for her. What if he had done it to her? What effect would it have had on her, she wondered. Devastating, was the most apposite word, she concluded. Furthermore, how would it have affected her marriage? JR was a jealous and possessive husband. Would his feelings towards Sue Ellen have changed in that instance? The possibility of JR reacting badly to the fact that she had gone with him, permitted him to do that to her, denting his male pride and impacting on the way he saw her was chilling.

Before she could continue with her anxious thoughts Sue Ellen stirred. Miss Ellie took her hand and gently patted it. As she began to regain consciousness Sue Ellen sat up quickly, a panicked expression on her face. "Bobby?" she asked, searching her mother-in-law's expression for a sign. "Don't worry dear. Bobby's going to be just fine" Miss Ellie lied, worrying that news of a cautious prognosis might affect the young woman further.

Sue Ellen sighed in relief and then made to get out of bed. "No Sue Ellen" her mother-in-law told her, pushing her gently back down. "You're in no fit state. You've had a sedative. Do you remember what happened to you?" Sue Ellen began to collect her thoughts before responding tearfully. "Yes, Miss Ellie. I had some sort of emotional breakdown, didn't I? I'm sorry to have caused you additional worry." Miss Ellie stroked the young woman's cheek, brushing away the tears that were now readily falling. "You have nothing to apologise for, Sue Ellen. You have been through a horrific ordeal. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from that, I truly am."

"I just couldn't let him take Pam, not in her condition, and I was scared that if I didn't comply he'd start hurting us all. Then there were the three children in the house to think of." Miss Ellie shuddered. She and her daughter-in-law must have been sharing the same thoughts all the while, their minds racing about all the potential ramifications of trying to stand up to their assailant. "He didn't harm you, did he?" she asked, shuddering at the possibility that Sue Ellen's earlier denial might have been false, a device to protect herself and the rest of the family. Sue Ellen shook her head. "No, other than a slap to my face" she answered, briefly touching her cheek which still stung from the assault.

"Are you sure?" Miss Ellie asked. "Sue Ellen I'm not trying to pry. I just want to make sure you get all the help you need." "I'm positive. He was about to but then the men came in and pulled him away from me..." She paused, re-living the horror of all that had occurred subsequently. "Miss Ellie, I know you're angry with JR. I was at first but you know he would never intentionally do anything to harm me or the rest of the family, don't you?"

Miss Ellie sighed. "Yes, I do, Sue Ellen, but it's the extremes to which he goes that frighten me, that placed us in the situation that we found ourselves. What would have stopped that animal from raping you and then shooting all of us? The fact that JR and Bobby arrived just in the nick of time is almost irrelevant when you look at things from that perspective."

Too exhausted and upset to argue the point any further Sue Ellen began to close her eyes once more. "That's right, go to sleep, dear. JR will be back soon to take care of you" her mother-in-law told her, stroking her hand in a comforting motion. Watching the young woman drift off, dark thoughts entered Miss Ellie's head once more. If JR had been telling the truth the feud between the Ewings and the Barnes families that had raged to date was only bound to get much worse.

Tbc

 **Sorry for the lack of updates- been very busy recently. Thank you as ever for reading and reviewing : )**


	204. Chapter 205

Sue Ellen ruminated carefully on the topic under discussion. "Sue Ellen?" Dr Maggie Ashworth asked, jolting her from her thoughts. "I'm sorry" she told the therapist. "I was concentrating on my response."

Sue Ellen had always been a thinker. From being a small child she would analyse and then re-analyse the smallest of events, interpreting them in more than one way before deciding on their significance.

"You asked me what I expected when I married JR. My answer to that is so complex I don't know where to begin" she answered eventually. Maggie looked intently at her patient. Sometimes the young Mrs Ewing presented as an open book. At others, she was completely opaque, it being impossible to tell what was going through her beautiful head. This afternoon it was the latter side to the young woman that dominated the start of their session.

"Take a deep breath and then begin" Maggie told her. "You do trust me, don't you?" Sue Ellen nodded. "If you want to know why you're going, in your words, from nought to sixty in your relationship with JR after what happened recently then your answer to my question is crucial." Sue Ellen nodded once more. "I do, Maggie. I need to understand why I can be loving and sympathetic to him at times but then really angry with him at others. He's being patient at the moment, probably out of guilt for his part in what occurred, but that won't last forever."

The last few weeks had been rough for them and for the rest of the family. Bobby was still recuperating which meant JR was on his own at the company. It wasn't like he was struggling with anything specific. It was more the fact that he had never been alone in running Ewing Oil before. He'd always had his daddy or his brother for support. His solitude, together with the problems that he and Sue Ellen were encountering, unsettled him.

Miss Ellie remained angry about what had happened but at least possessed the good grace to let JR know that she realised he never meant the family any harm. Pam continued to rage at him, alternating her anger towards him with her brother, whereas Lucy was withdrawn, nervous and uncommunicative. The only person who, remarkably, didn't subject him to bitter recrimination was Bobby, the person who, arguably, had suffered the most harm.

Sue Ellen sighed before she eventually addressed the therapist's question. "When I married JR, my belief was that what JR did to promote the best interests of the company and the family was his business and would never be brought to my door. I was wrong." "What made you think that?" Maggie asked. Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "The things he used to say. He told me, for example, that as long as I kept him happy and gave him children then he'd take care of everything else. Don't worry your pretty little head about what happens at work, honey. That's the sort of thing he'd say and I believed him."

"And now?" "Now I realise that I have been utterly naïve. You see the fact is that JR does things that make him a figure of hatred, that make people wish that bad things would happen to him. What I'm struggling with is the fact that the same people extend that hatred to me and our children, to the family as a whole, and that won't ever change." Maggie nodded. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not going to leave him. I've considered that but the truth is I love him and want to be with him so that's not an option. What I do need is to figure out a way of shielding myself and my children from the threat, from the drama, that JR attracts. However, I'm not sure I can. Do you know what? I've even considered learning how to shoot, so that I can defend myself and the children in the future. I never thought I'd ever contemplate that."

Maggie shook her head in disapproval but then mentally checked herself not to be judgmental. "Have you discussed any of this with your husband?" "I discussed the shooting idea. He didn't approve, isn't ladylike in his opinion, but then said he wouldn't stop me if it made me feel more secure. The irony is that his mama is an able shot and there were loaded rifles in the gun cabinet that day but that made absolutely no difference when it came down to it."

"Is your anger really then directed at JR or is it in reality towards yourself? Because you feel powerless to defend yourself and the children in his absence?" Sue Ellen paused to consider the question before answering although she immediately realised that Maggie had a point. "I am angry with myself, I'm angry with him too and I'm angry with my mother who has done nothing but interfere and pry since all this happened." "I wondered where your mother figured in all of this?" Maggie asked, acutely conscious of her patient's fractious relationship with the woman. "It's almost as if she blames me for being attacked, for almost being raped. I've been ignoring her calls, asking the staff to make excuses for me, because I can't cope with the mock sincerity. She just revels in the drama of it all!"

"Then you do right to ignore her" Maggie replied. "Let's bring this session to a close. Between now and next week I want you to talk to JR, to let him know how you feel, but also to concentrate on the positive aspects of your marriage. You've spoken of your love for him, spontaneously and genuinely, focus on that." Sue Ellen nodded in response. "I will" she reassured her, standing to show her out of the house.

Several hours later JR arrived home, weary and careworn from the day's challenges. Wondering what he might face when he entered the house he decided on a stiff drink at first before climbing the stairs to see his family. Entering the bedroom, drink in hand, he was surprised to see his wife's reaction to his arrival home. "Good evening, JR" she greeted him before touching his cheek and delivering a warm kiss to his lips. "Honey?" he asked, confused by the change in her demeanour from that morning. "JR, I love you. You do know that, don't you?" she told him, kissing him once more, aware of the effect that she was immediately having on him. "Now I want to show you just how much."

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	205. Chapter 206

Delighted by her welcome home which represented a massive surprise, JR pulled Sue Ellen gently by the arm towards the leather armchair where he proceeded to sit. "Take your clothes off for me, darlin" he growled. "Nice and slowly." His command appeared to shock her although she didn't refuse. Suddenly he realised. That was what that animal, Adams, had her do. That was why when he, Bobby and Ray burst into the room she was in such a state of undress by comparison with her attacker.

Before he could stop her, she moved her hands to unfasten the top button of her dress, an almost robotic quality to the action that told him she was struggling. "Stop, Sue Ellen, stop!" he exclaimed as the anguish on her face became ever more evident. He took her hand once more and guided her to his knee. "I'm so sorry" he told her as she buried her face in his neck, by now shaking and weeping uncontrollably. "I love you Sue Ellen" he told her, bringing her body in closer to his whilst permitting her sobs to subside. Once under control she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "What's wrong with me, JR? I really wanted to, until it came down to it, and then I just couldn't."

"It's alright, sugar, I can wait. Maybe more sessions with your therapist would help? I think you're still traumatised by what happened to you." She looked at him doubtfully. "It's been weeks and it's not as if he managed to do anything to me…" she argued. "Sue Ellen, you're in denial. I remember vividly, even amongst the chaos, what he was subjecting you to when we burst in. Don't even try to deny it. He had you strip for him, didn't he? Then if we'd been a split second later he'd have been raping you!"

She descended into floods of tears again at the bluntness of her husband's words, even though she knew he hadn't meant them harshly or accusingly. "I had no choice, JR" she told him through her intermittent sobs. "I know" he reassured her. "You do know it wouldn't have changed a thing between us even if he had, don't you?" She nodded in response although she hadn't in fact been able to eradicate the doubt that his perception of her might have altered had she become "damaged goods" in his eyes.

"Can I give you a kiss?" he asked hesitantly. She nodded and moved her face closer to his. As he delivered a tender yet fleeting kiss to her lips she reflected sadly on the position in which they found themselves. She loved JR, she loved being with him and until this happened she had enjoyed an active and varied sex life with him. Now all she could think of where intimacy was concerned was the touch and smell not of the man she was in love with, her husband, but a man who had been intent on hurting her. JR was right. She needed to see Maggie again, to work through her trauma and, hopefully, in time, return to normality.

He hugged her in close to him, relieved that certain physical acts didn't repulse her. He too longed for Sue Ellen to recover from her ordeal. His thoughts turned to the "termite" as he liked to refer to Cliff Barnes. The man had wreaked havoc for his family but it was now only a matter of time before he was destined for financial ruin. Somehow, though, that didn't seem enough. JR wanted to cause him pain, like he had caused to Sue Ellen and Bobby and the rest of the family. As Sue Ellen rose from his knee to dress for dinner, JR got up and poured himself a drink. Sitting back down he began to ruminate, almost obsessively, about what he might do next.

"Say honey?" he asked her as he watched her undress and then dress as gingerly as she had done when they first married "Would you be up to attending the Oil Barons' Ball next Saturday?" She looked at him and shook her head doubtfully. "I don't think I'm up to it this year, JR. People will only ask questions or, worse still, stare" she informed him sadly. "I'm not going to force you, sugar, but I reckon we Ewings should show the rest of the oil community how strong we can be in the face of adversity. We'd also be representing daddy's memory. Think about it. There's still time for you to get something real nice to wear."

"Won't Cliff be there?" she asked worriedly. JR shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care if he is or isn't. It's only a matter of time now before he's the most hated man in the Texas oil business. I've already seen to that" he lied. The truth was that JR wanted him to be there because he had a plan, to humiliate Cliff, to take him down by exposing him for the rotten piece of work that he was.

Across town Cliff was working late. His meeting with the financial analyst earlier hadn't gone well. "You're weeks away from it all falling down around you" his friend had advised him "unless of course you can inject more capital into the project." Cliff hardly dared ask how much. When the answer came, his stomach had turned somersaults. Waiting for John Kay to leave for the day, he entered the man's office, went to where he knew the keys to the filing cabinet were kept and began opening drawers before rifling through. Eventually he found what he had been looking for - the last month's tally of what the Kay brothers had in their capital account. He was relieved to see a healthy balance existed but then pondered on how he might get to it. He couldn't tell the truth. That would make him look like a fool. In any case to use the monies in that account would wipe the company's reserves which may be needed for other things. What if I just borrowed some of the money for the shortest period possible? He wondered without considering the possible consequences.

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	206. Chapter 207

Wishing to please him, to make up for her recent behaviour but definitely against her better judgment, Sue Ellen agreed to accompany JR to the Oil Barons' Ball. Her therapist, Maggie, had attempted to counsel her to the contrary but when it came to it she had to allow her patients to exercise their own judgment. "I can't let him think I'm disloyal, either to him or his late father" Sue Ellen had told her. "Well then make sure you keep him out of any trouble. JR is a naturally vengeful person and, this time, with just cause. I hope he's not using the outing as an opportunity to spill blood." Sue Ellen shook her head. "No, Maggie, he's promised me that there will be no trouble. He wouldn't put me through the humiliation of that, not after all I have been through" Sue Ellen advised the woman firmly. Maggie looked at her over the rim of her spectacles. She had no doubt, JR being the good husband that he now was, that he would try to keep his promise. The reality though was different. It would only take Barnes to needle him before he went in for the kill, she worried, regardless of how it might affect his wife.

With Sue Ellen on board the other family members soon came around to the idea of attending the ball. Bobby, as ever, desperate to maintain a united front with his older brother for the sake of the company as well as the family, had to work even harder on Pamela. "Bobby I know you and I know JR. I also know my brother. This has disaster written all over it. Remember I'm almost four months' pregnant as well. Neither Sue Ellen nor I can take any more stress!" Pam argued forcefully and with conviction.

Only when Miss Ellie had announced that she would be there too had Pam relented. There was a reason for her mother-in-law's recent change of heart. Forced by circumstances beyond his control, Punk Anderson had to tip Miss Ellie off that a tribute to Jock was planned to take place at the event. What a shame it would be for the family to miss it, he had advised her. As predicted, her loyalty to her late husband overrode any reservations she harboured about her sons' likely conduct. "Lucy, dear, you can come this time as well. You're old enough now. Anyway, as they say, strength in numbers." Miss Ellie told the young girl much to the latter's surprise. She decided to keep the tribute to Jock to herself. It would come as a welcome surprise to the rest of the family, she thought as she observed her granddaughter's glee at the invitation. "Can I go shopping for a gown, grandma?" she had asked excitedly. "We'll take you" Sue Ellen told her, looking meaningfully at Pam. "I need something to wear myself."

A few days later the two young aunts sat in the VIP dressing area at The Store. Watching Lucy parade around in a succession of gowns, chosen carefully by a senior assistant, Pam sighed. "I just can't wait until it's all over and done with" she told her sister-in-law. Sue Ellen nodded sadly. "Same here. I'm not even sure about the gown I have chosen." Pam shook her head vigorously. "You've nothing to worry about there, Sue Ellen. It looks stunning on you. Meanwhile I'll be the frumpy one in the thing resembling a tent! It's not the bump that's the problem it's my…" She looked down at her chest. "They're huge these days. I had to go up two sizes and then have my dress altered to fit. I hope it's ready in time."

Sue Ellen giggled. "I bet Bobby doesn't mind!" Pam smiled but then hushed her sister-in-law as Lucy emerged from the dressing room. Admiring their niece in a pale pink, floor-length gown that not only suited her but was appropriate for her age all three were decided. "That's the one, Lucy" Pam told her. "I agree" Sue Ellen commented. "Go on then, give us a twirl!" Lucy twirled in excitement and clapped her hands. "Shoes! I need new shoes!" The assistant nodded her head. "Come with me, please, miss and I'll show you what we have."

As Lucy followed on Sue Ellen and Pam smiled at each other. It seemed like this was the first time in ages that the two young women had anything to be happy about. "I wanted to ask you, Sue Ellen…" Pam paused hesitantly before continuing. "You know about when you were pregnant. Did you start to want, uh, 'it' quite a lot?" The young woman blushed and looked at the floor. Sue Ellen giggled. "With Ella, yes, once I'd ridden out the sickness. Let's put it this way- I kept JR busy. With John Ross, it was different because I was unwell. I asked our doctor about it when I was pregnant the first time and she said there was nothing wrong with healthy relations taking place all the way through."

Pam smiled and sighed in relief. "So, it won't harm the baby then?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "Bobby was worried but then got all anxious about offending me by refusing." "Things seem to be working out much better between you these days?" Sue Ellen asked. Pam nodded. "Yes, the pregnancy has made all the difference. We seem to be on the same page again. There was a time, though, when I seriously wondered if we would make it." Sue Ellen sipped her tea thoughtfully. The recollection of what she and Bobby had been through made her cringe. It had to be kept secret, though, for Pam's sake and that of their baby.

"And you and JR?" Pam asked. Sue Ellen sighed. "It's difficult at the moment. He's being loving and patient but I just can't seem to get over what happened, I mean when he seeks intimacy. It's like some sort of mental block. I don't see JR I just see him, that creature. I'm working through it with my therapist but it's hard going because, every time we discuss it, it just brings it all back." "I'm sorry to hear that, Sue Ellen" Pam commented. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing and will help you."

Sue Ellen nodded. "She says the more we speak about it the more I will become inured to it and then things will start to get back to normal." "I don't think I ever thanked you, not properly, for what you did that day, Sue Ellen." Pam squeezed her sister-in-law's hand. "Well I couldn't risk him hurting you and the baby, could I?" "Yes, but now it's you who's suffering. I feel bad about that. I really do." "Don't worry. It's over. It could have been a lot worse" Sue Ellen replied phlegmatically.

At that they were greeted by the sight of Lucy rushing back to them, almost tripping on her gown, with a pair of shoes that she had selected. "That's it then, Lucy. Apart from your hair, you're all set for your first Oil Barons' Ball" Sue Ellen told her, taking her wallet out of her purse.

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 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. Not sure when I can next update this story but I promise crazy, high drama! :)**


	207. Chapter 208

JR stared at Sue Ellen from head to foot. She had been through so much lately but her outward appearance did not belie the trauma she had suffered. "Honey, you look stunning" he told her, admiring her floor length, off-white gown. The garment was fitted close to her body accentuating her slender figure. It was both demure yet sexy, he mused, having elegant long sleeves yet a low- cut front and back. The hem flared ever so slightly giving the gown grace and movement.

"Are you sure?" she asked, tweaking a stray strand of hair into place before pinning it securely. Her insecurity was rather charming, he thought, as he helped her on with her satin evening coat. The fact was that as she was becoming older she was beginning to look better than ever. She had lost the roundness in her face that had been a sign of her youth when he first met her, now replaced by fine, prominent cheekbones that gave her a look of elegance and refinement. Her figure was better as well, slim but with curves in all the right places, a product of motherhood followed by a disciplined exercise regime. "Prettiest girl at the ball, always" he informed her as he pulled her toward him for a kiss. "Don't make a mess of my hair and make-up" she scolded him. "It's taken ages to get ready this time."

He pecked her on the lips obediently so as not to irk her. As they withdrew she looked at him doubtfully. "JR, you won't do anything tonight, will you?" He shook his head vigorously. "Sugar, I made you a promise. We're going to the ball for one reason only, to let our enemies see how strong and resolute we all are, that's all" he vowed, although whenever he contemplated coming face to face with Cliff Barnes the bile rose in his throat to almost unbearable levels.

Sue Ellen nodded. "Alright then, JR, let's go downstairs." Before opening the bedroom door, he addressed her once more. "Thank you for doing this, honey." "I'm doing it for all of us, JR, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it. What if Cliff tries anything?" He shook his head. "Punk has seen to it. Placed that termite on the other side of the ballroom. You won't have to look at him."

Forty minutes later and they had arrived. Oblivious to the tension felt by her elders Lucy walked excitedly into the ballroom. She wanted to make a grand entrance. Miss Ellie took hold of her by her arm. "Steady on now, Lucy" she warned her. "Let your uncles lead the way."

Sue Ellen and Pam felt as if all eyes were on them as they permitted their husbands to guide them to their table. Bobby reached for Pam's hand and grasped it tightly. Sue Ellen linked her arm with JR's and flashed a brave smile at the other guests as she passed them. Never more so did the women need the support of their men than now. Miss Ellie and Lucy followed, the former wishing that Jock was there by her side. This was the first ball that she had attended as his widow and it felt strange, almost alien to her, to be without him.

Punk and Mavis Anderson came over, breaking the near silence that had greeted the arrival of the Ewing family. From the bar, Cliff looked up from his drink, contemplated whether to make a move but then decided against it. He had been warned by his younger sister about making any trouble. Cliff had started drinking almost as soon as he had arrived. "Dutch Courage" was what he was seeking. He hadn't really wanted to be there but his absence would have signalled a potential problem to the others who had invested with him in the Canadian deal. Whether he liked it or not he had to front things out, appear confident and pray that the monies he had syphoned from the Kay brothers' account would keep the investment afloat just long enough to turn a profit. As he lifted the tumbler of whisky to his mouth, his third already that evening, he noted his hands were shaking. Get a grip, he told himself before looking over to Sue Ellen to distract him from his nerves. He watched as she chatted to the Andersons. Given what she had been through she appeared remarkably composed, he thought. Suddenly he felt guilty. The young woman hadn't deserved what had happened to her. It had been his fault, at least in part. He seethed as he observed JR squeeze her hand reassuringly. How had she been able to forgive him, he wondered. Did she really love that horrendous man so much that she was prepared to place what happened behind her?

At last it was time for the guests to take their seats. Cliff strode unsteadily to his table, shared with the Kays and several members of the Cartel, notably Marilee and Seth Stone. "How's our investment doing, Cliff?" Marilee asked pointedly. "We've not seen much of you lately. You're not hiding anything, are you?" Cliff shook his head. "No Marilee, just been busy that's all. Don't you worry, any day now and we will be receiving healthy dividends." Marilee eyed him suspiciously but then decided that now was not the time to interrogate him. She looked over to the Ewing table. The way Sue Ellen looked and the manner in which she and JR were interacting irritated her. Perfect Sue Ellen, she fumed, with her less than perfect husband.

When dinner was over Punk rose to his feet and took to the podium. Pausing to ensure that his audience had settled, he began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to thank you all for being here tonight. This is, for me, as well as his family, a poignant evening because it is the first Oil Barons' Ball that has not been attended by my good friend, Jock Ewing. Jock was one of the founders of this event, an event that serves not only as an opportunity for us all to socialise, away from the pressures of business, but to serve a charitable purpose as well. This year the committee has decided that there can only be one worthy winner of Oil Man of the Year. Sadly, the award, which in my view is more than deserved, has to be made posthumously- to John Ross Ewing the First. Miss Ellie, boys, come up please to receive it on his behalf!"

"Did you know about this, mama?" Bobby asked. Miss Ellie smiled bravely. "Yes, Bobby. Now you can all see why we needed to be here." Taking their mother's hands the two young men assisted her to ascend the small staircase where Punk was waiting with the trophy. Handing it to Miss Ellie before withdrawing from the podium, he invited her to speak a few words in her husband's memory.

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	208. Chapter 209

The standing ovation as Miss Ellie passed the trophy to JR and settled behind the podium had one notable exception. Remaining seated, his arms folded, Cliff seethed. Even in death Jock Ewing was a winner, he fumed.

"Thank you all so much" Miss Ellie began, her voice faltering with emotion. "I'm, we're, very touched by this award. It's most appreciated. It's been a difficult year for the family in a number of ways but we Ewings soldier on. Some of you may have thought that, without Jock at the helm, Ewing Oil would fail but, through the efforts of both my sons, of whom I am very proud, we continue on an upwards trajectory in the industry and look forward to working with you all collaboratively and constructively in the future. Thank you once again."

The reference to her sons was all that Cliff needed. He jumped out of his seat and made his way to the stage just as Miss Ellie, JR and Bobby were about to take their leave. "I have something to say" he shouted "about the rotten Ewing family…" "Leave it, Cliff, have you no respect?" Punk warned him through gritted teeth. "You have nothing to say about my family, particularly not my daddy" JR shouted back. He'd wanted this to happen, willed it to and now he was not wasting the opportunity. Placing the trophy down on the podium he seized the microphone. "Jock Ewing was a hundred times the man that your loser of a father is and Bobby and I are in a different league from you, Barnes. You'll never beat us no matter how hard you try. Who would do business with you? Only the foolish and the greedy" he boomed, staring pointedly at Marilee. "That's right, members of the Cartel, you'd better keep a close eye on that Canadian deal that you went into with him. Barnes has sold you a pup with that one. Oh and by the way, if I were you John I'd be checking my accounts right now. He's so dishonest I wouldn't like to bet against him robbing Peter to pay Paul!"

Pam shook her head in dismay. Sue Ellen initially stared anxiously at the floor but then shot JR a warning glance to leave it there. As Bobby and JR escorted Miss Ellie from the stage Cliff threw a drunken punch at JR, glancing him to the chin. "You're a bastard, JR, just like your father." That was it. Remaining on his feet JR punched Cliff back with sufficient force to send him flying across the Ewing table. "Stop!" Pam exclaimed. "He deserved it!" Bobby told her. "In fact, Barnes, you've asked for it and now you're going to get it!" Bobby dragged Cliff from the table onto his feet and delivered a further punch, breaking the man's nose.

Others waded in, some to the defence of Cliff, others in support of the two Ewing brothers. Miss Ellie tried to grab JR by the arm but he shrugged her off. "No mama" he told her. "He started it and now we are going to finish it!" As he turned away from his mother his face came into contact with John Kay's fist, sending him to the floor. "Oh no!" Sue Ellen exclaimed but there was no sense of disapproval in her tone. Helping him up she threw a glass of water in John's face giving JR just enough time to recover his composure and hit him back. JR looked at her in surprise. He had never seen Sue Ellen behave in that way before but her spirited defence of him was quite alluring.

"Come on, Lucy, Pam, we need to get out of here" Miss Ellie told them. "Aw, grandma, just when this was starting to get interesting!" Lucy responded, ducking away from a chair that had come hurtling towards them. "JR, Bobby! Enough now!" their mother shrieked but to no avail. Bringing Cliff down to the floor once again the two Ewing brothers delivered sharp kicks to his ribs. "This is for what you did to my wife" JR told him. "And mine!" Bobby shouted. "Bobby, no!" Pam exclaimed. "They're going to do some serious harm to him!" "Let them!" Sue Ellen replied much to her sister-in-law's astonishment. "He deserves it after what he put us through!" Pam couldn't understand Sue Ellen's response to their husbands' behaviour. She had been at one with her and Miss Ellie concerning there being no trouble at the ball beforehand but now she was encouraging it. "Sue Ellen?" she asked. "I mean it, Pam! This is what I needed to see. This has done me more good than hours of therapy!"

She watched her husband and brother-in-law kick Cliff a few more times and then went over to JR and took him by the arm. "Stop now before the police are called" she told him and Bobby. The two men, panting from their exertions, did as they were told. Sue Ellen looked contemptuously at Cliff who was curled up, foetus-like, on the floor but didn't say a word. She wasn't going to dignify his actions by telling him just what that afternoon a few weeks ago had been like.

Heads held high Miss Ellie, her two sons, Sue Ellen and Lucy walked out of the ballroom. Only Pam remained for a few seconds to check that her brother was alright. Then, shaking her head in disgust, she followed the rest of the family. The limousine to take them home drew up immediately. Lucy was the first to speak as it moved away. "Wow! That was the best fight ever! I knew Bobby had it in him but you were great too, JR!" "Lucy!" her grandmother warned her as Pam tutted in disapproval at the young girl.

As they reached the edge of the city and entered the darkened highway towards Southfork JR felt something. He looked at his wife. She was carefully and discreetly touching his inner thigh. "Sue Ellen?" he whispered. "Are you alright honey?" Moving closer to him, her lips almost touching his ear she responded ever so quietly. "I want you, JR, as soon as we get home. I really do."

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	209. Chapter 210

"Nightcap, JR?" Bobby asked as they entered the house. JR shook his head. "No thank you, Bobby, I'm exhausted from all that brawling" he answered, following his wife swiftly upstairs. Having checked briefly on the children and consulted with the nanny they quickly entered the bedroom. Taking Sue Ellen in his arms they were kissing deeply and passionately within seconds.

"Unzip my dress please" she commanded. JR turned her to face away from him and fumbled in the half-light for the zipper. He tried to pull it down but encountered resistance. "Tug it, JR. Just tug it!" she told him. "I'm scared of breaking it" he answered. "It can be replaced, just pull it hard" she demanded, her urgency for him causing him to giggle wickedly. "Shhh" she told him. "The others are all still downstairs. We can't risk them hearing us."

Suddenly the zipper gave way, much to their joint relief. Sue Ellen wriggled out of the garment and simply let it fall to the floor. "Oh, Sue Ellen I don't know what's come over you this evening but I sure do like it" JR informed her as she lay on the bed waiting for him. She watched as he hurriedly undressed. She was deliberately leaving her lingerie on for him to remove, something that he had made known he thoroughly enjoyed.

He lay down next to her and set to work on her bra. Making a mistake that he'd made before he searched for the fastener at the back. Then, realising, his hands went to the front where he eased the clasp, disguised with a silk bow, open. He growled appreciatively as he set her breasts free. He marvelled at their softness as he kneaded them in his hands. She moaned softly in return as he began to suck her nipples, causing them to harden.

Now it was time for her panties. This was easier. He tossed them over the edge of the bed and began to touch her. "Yes, JR, yes" she encouraged him as he used his fingers on her in the way he knew she liked. He kissed her in response, his tongue darting and flickering over hers. "I love you, Sue Ellen" he told her in between their kisses. She murmured in response, he assumed to say the same thing back.

Her hand wandered to his crotch. She was impressed by how erect he was for her. "Let me take you in my mouth?" she asked him but didn't wait for an answer. She got up onto her knees and began to suck him causing him to moan in pleasure. As she carried on he reached over and began to caress her once more, first her breasts and then between her lovely long legs. The feel of her combined with what she was doing to him, expertly and just how he liked it, made him want to explode. Not yet, he told himself, taking a sharp intake of breath to prevent it. This was so good he wanted to make it last. More than that though he wanted to give her the pleasure she so richly deserved.

Sensing that she was taking him very close to orgasm she removed her mouth from his member and sat on it instead. JR cried out in ecstasy as she began to ride him. Placing her fingers over his mouth as a warning not to make too much noise, she continued. Her hair brushed against his chest and then his face as she leaned forward to kiss him. Instinctively he grasped the back of her hair and pulled her even closer. He had let her take charge for long enough. Now it was his turn.

Removing his mouth from hers he bent his neck upwards to take one of her breasts in his mouth, a sure-fire way of making her come. Sucking her nipple as well as thrusting in and out of her he felt her tightening before shuddering and moaning his name. He giggled wickedly at the power he held over her before flipping her purposefully over onto her back, him on top still inside her.

Grasping both her hands in his he began thrusting. She wrapped her legs around his to intensify the sensation. "Yes, Sue Ellen, that feels so good" he whispered, gazing into her eyes which were shining with excitement. This was the hottest sex they had had in ages, he thought as he carried on, at times slowing down to elongate the experience such was the way he felt about being with her right at that moment.

She grasped his buttocks drawing him ever deeper into her. He was going to make her come again, she determined. Now he let her dictate the pace, realising that she was using him almost like her own personal sex toy. Settling for a slower and more rhythmic action she circled her hips beneath him. Her breathing quickened and her back arched. She was close, real close, he thought as he did her bidding. Suddenly she was undone, her groan of absolute pleasure letting him know.

He kissed her, self-congratulatory that he still had that effect on her, that he could send her over, make her climax for him. Now it was his turn he decided. He withdrew, just for a moment, so that he might last more than just a few seconds longer. Her face and chest were flushed from her arousal. "You have never looked more beautiful than you do now" he told her, repeating that he loved her and that she was the only woman he ever wanted.

Then he entered her for a final time. Commencing slowly, to savour every last moment, he groaned in appreciation. She may have had two children but she remained delightfully tight, he noted, as he began to pulse inside her. "Put your hand down, sugar" he demanded. "Yes, that's so good" he responded as she stroked his balls. He increased the frequency of his thrusts. He couldn't hold on any longer. He came in torrents inside her whilst calling out her name. She placed her fingers back on his lips to quieten him. When he was done, he rolled off her but immediately took her in his arms to embrace her.

"Are you alright, Sue Ellen?" he asked. She nodded. "Better than alright, JR. Now let's get some sleep but I'm warning you, I will want to do this again later."

Tbc

 **There may not be a chapter for a few days now. Work to do unfortunately. Thank you for continuing to read this story : )**


	210. Chapter 211

The ruination of Cliff Barnes came hot on the heels of the Oil Barons' Ball. First, he was fired on the spot by the Kay brothers after discovering his foray into embezzlement of their money. They would have gone to the police but their reluctance to admit that JR had been right all along provided them with a psychological bar to that particular course of action. Instead, they looked to the Cartel for compensation, threatening the group with expensive civil litigation if they were not immediately put back in funds.

The mess created by the Canadian deal wasn't going to be easy to rectify though. A number of the more minor players declared themselves bankrupt. Angry recriminations came thick and fast for Cliff and, before he knew it, he was no longer welcome anywhere in town.

By far the most significant development, however, was the decline of Seth Stone into depression followed by suicide. The Stones' losses as major investors in the deal had been extremely significant and Marilee's reaction was unsympathetic to and blameworthy of her husband who was a weak man entirely dominated by her. One evening, feeling that there could be no future other than one of poverty and struggle, Seth overdosed on pills and alcohol, slipping away in his den whilst his wife slept upstairs.

By the time news came of the man's death the Barnes family were social pariahs in Dallas. Only Pamela, now a Ewing, was accepted in society circles. Pam struggled with the alienation of her father and brother. She knew what Cliff had done was wrong and, internally at least, she realised that JR hadn't caused their downfall, her brother had, however, it was difficult for her to tolerate the extent to which her brother-in-law celebrated the fact, loudly and publicly. It was even harder still to witness the lack of support for her from Bobby when JR got started. Rather than defend his wife and her family it felt at times that her husband subscribed to his brother's harsh and openly expressed views.

Sue Ellen tried her best to remain neutral but the reality was that since the ball her relationship with JR had only grown stronger, born of her admiration of the way he had wrought revenge on her behalf. Physically they were more compatible than ever and they enjoyed each other's bodies regularly and in many varied ways, keeping both of them happy and stable. Although she tried not to, it had become increasingly difficult for Sue Ellen not to jump to her husband's defence when Pam argued with him, a fact that made her feel guilty after tempers flared between the two women.

Even Lucy seemed to get on with her uncle JR better in the wake of what had happened. The young girl had seen at first- hand how strong and powerful her uncles could be in dealing with their foes. It gave her a feeling of security for the future being part of such a robust and successful family even without her granddaddy.

There was only Miss Ellie who understood how Pam felt. Only she could accept that the young woman's loyalties were bound to be torn. It was difficult for Pam, Miss Ellie mused, watching her get into her car to go to her ante-natal check- up. Pregnant, isolated and lonely, Miss Ellie willed things to improve for her daughter-in-law once she had her baby.

Across town, at the consulting rooms of Dr Janet Scott, Pam waited nervously to be called. When her name was announced, she knocked politely before entering the doctor's surgery. The doctor looked up and smiled at her pretty patient. "Good morning, Pamela, how are you today?" Pam shook her head worriedly and then burst into tears. Passing the young woman a tissue and encouraging her to breathe the doctor then waited for her to speak. "I haven't felt the baby move in the last 24 hours!" Pam exclaimed. "Lie on the couch, Pam and let me take a look. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Baby may have just been more sleepy than usual" she reassured her.

Taking her stethoscope and applying it to Pam's abdomen the doctor searched for a heartbeat. She couldn't identify one but it was by no means the end of her investigations. "I'm going to do an ultrasound, Pam. Alright? Now do not panic. This sort of thing happens all the time. Baby is just being a little elusive for me."

Turning the screen deliberately towards her so that her patient couldn't see, the doctor began the scan. There it was, a heartbeat. However, there was little movement from the tiny baby and the heartbeat was faint. This could go one of two ways the doctor determined. Either way her patient needed to be in hospital immediately.

Trying not to alarm Pam too much, the doctor advised her that she was a "little concerned" about the baby's heart rate. Her patient's reaction was as the woman had expected. As Pam burst into floods of tears Dr Scott set about contacting Dallas Memorial followed by Bobby. "I'm admitting Pam, purely as a precaution" the doctor advised him. "We are going right now by ambulance. You can meet us there. We will be up on the maternity unit."

Bobby grabbed his jacket and flew into JR's office. "I've got to go, it's Pam!" He told his brother. "Hey wait a second, Bob, what's the matter?" JR asked, looking up from his papers. "Some concern about the baby, the doctor said something about the heart rate! Will you let mama know?" JR nodded his head and picked up the telephone.

Teresa answered. "Get Miss Ellie quickly please, Teresa" he demanded. "Mama, Pamela is being admitted to hospital. There's a potential problem with the baby" he told her. "Bobby has already gone on ahead. Will you meet him there?" "Oh no, JR! Yes of course I will go up there. JR, what's happened?" JR shook his head. "I don't know, mama. Bobby left in a terrific hurry. I'll join you later. Someone has to hold the fort here."

As Miss Ellie was putting on her coat Sue Ellen came downstairs, carrying John Ross, Ella bumping down after her on her bottom as she had been taught to. "Miss Ellie?" the young woman asked. "There's a problem with Pam's baby, Sue Ellen" her mother-in-law told her tearfully. "I'm going to Dallas Memorial right now." "Try not to worry" Sue Ellen advised her. "Dr Scott is very good. It's probably only out of an abundance of caution. Please will you keep me posted? I'll come up myself later when the children are settled."

As she watched her mother-in-law leave Sue Ellen shuddered. This can't be happening all over again, particularly not now, she worried before pulling herself together for the sake of her children and taking them through to the kitchen for lunch.

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	211. Chapter 212

"I recommend that Pamela remains in hospital for observation and treatment" Dr Scott informed Bobby and his mother. "There is a distinct yet faint heartbeat, Pam's blood pressure is stable and the baby is a decent size at this stage. It's a waiting game I'm afraid."

"You must have seen this sort of thing before?" Bobby asked anxiously. "Hundreds of times" the doctor responded flatly. "It's never easy to predict the outcome, though, so I can't give you any assurances. It wouldn't be fair."

Miss Ellie sighed. "Thank you, doctor. Please can we go back in to see her again?" Dr Scott nodded. "Yes of course, take as much time as you like. As long as Pam is kept quiet." Walking back inside the private room within the maternity wing of the hospital, the pair of them felt reassured to see Pam sleeping. Sleep meant nothing bad was happening, Bobby convinced himself. The longer their baby remained where he or she was, alive, there would always be hope.

Miss Ellie watched her daughter-in-law. Recalling the horror of the last time she began to pray silently. This pregnancy had healed the couple, she mused, recoiling at the memory of what things had been like beforehand, a time when she wouldn't have bet a dime on the young couple making it.

"I'm going to go, Bobby. JR and the others will be anxious for news. Please keep us posted, won't you?" she asked, brushing her lips softly against Pam's cheek. Bobby merely nodded as he resumed his seat by her bedside. He couldn't take his eyes off his young wife.

Back at Southfork the family anxiously awaited Miss Ellie's return. When she arrived, she found herself bombarded with questions, some of which she could answer, others she could not. She faithfully recounted what the doctor had told them and reassured a tearful Lucy that her aunt was in the best place and in the best hands now.

Watching the family over dinner Miss Ellie observed the upset etched upon Sue Ellen's face as she pushed her food around the plate, taking only the smallest of bites. She knew her daughters-in-law had forged a strong bond with each other even though they didn't always agree on matters where JR stood. She imagined that Sue Ellen was also affected by her own experience of almost losing John Ross. She was the one who would understand what Pam was going through best. However, neither she nor anyone else sat around the table actually appreciated what was going through the young woman's mind right at that moment.

After dinner Lucy went upstairs to complete some homework that she had been set. Miss Ellie went into the kitchen to talk to Teresa. If Bobby was going to remain at the hospital he would need some food taking up there, she informed the housekeeper who set about making sandwiches and organising delivery. JR and Sue Ellen entered the living room. JR offered his wife a drink but she politely declined. "We need to talk, JR" she informed him in a hushed tone. "In private."

JR arched his eyebrow in surprise. "Honey?" "Not here, JR. Let's go outside." "We'll need our coats, darlin. It's a chilly evening out there" he told her as they made to stand. Walking out into the cold night air until they were far enough away from the house not to be overheard, Sue Ellen began to speak. "JR, I'm pregnant!" she told him. He was momentarily floored. He held out his arm to stop her in her tracks.

Turning to face her he asked "how?" She smiled ruefully. "You know full well how, JR! It's not like we have been in-active recently is it?" JR shook his head, confused. "No, I don't mean that, Sue Ellen. I mean I thought you were taking care of that angle." "I've gone back to my packet of pills and the fact is that, inadvertently amidst all the upset of what happened here with that man, I missed a few. That means I wasn't fully protected" she responded, appearing to be unconcerned about the situation although the truth was quite different. "How far along are you?" he asked, gulping with the shock of her revelation. "About eight weeks. I've had to tell you, even though the timing is awful, because I've started to feel quite sick and it's only a matter of time before it's obvious."

JR cast his mind back for a few seconds. Eight weeks took them back to about the time of the Oil Barons' Ball, he reflected, a memorable night for more than one reason. How had he not realised in the intervening time that she hadn't suffered her monthly inconvenience? Probably because the two of them had been enjoying themselves too much, he concluded.

"What are we going to do?" he asked, finally breaking the awkward silence that had descended upon them. "We're going to have another baby" she replied phlegmatically. "Phew! That means three under the age of three. We will need another nanny." Sue Ellen nodded. Suddenly, JR's expression darkened. "Sue Ellen, is it safe, for you, to go ahead with this pregnancy? I mean after what happened with John Ross? Has your doctor said anything?"

"She has advised that what happened with our little boy was possibly just bad luck and won't necessarily happen again. My blood pressure's fine at present. The main risk is premature labour though so extreme care would have to be taken." JR shook his head. "Sue Ellen, what if things go wrong? I can't lose you, I just can't."

"We just have to pray they don't and I will have to take things easy, whether I like it or not." "I don't know what to say. Part of me feels extremely happy but then another part leaves me terrified. I'd never really considered us having any more, not after last time."

Sue Ellen nodded. "I know, I feel the same but this little baby inside me is a product of our love, of all we've been through together recently. Termination just isn't an option." JR put his arms around her and kissed her softly. Right then all he wanted to do was to protect her, to make sure she was alright. "What I am really worried about right now is telling the family. If Pam loses her baby it will come as the most massive blow to her and Bobby to know that we are having another child" she told him. "As I said before, the timing is just awful."

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	212. Chapter 213

JR and Sue Ellen walked back to the house in silence. JR's mind raced over this unexpected development in their lives. He honestly hadn't thought about having any more children. His daughter and son had, to his mind, completed their family. Of course, had John Ross not been a boy he might have been tempted to ask Sue Ellen to try again but, thankfully, this eventuality had not arisen. He mentally kicked himself for their recklessness where birth control was concerned, not once but now repeated a second time.

The first time had been his fault and his marriage had nearly paid the heaviest price as a result, both his wife and his son almost dying in the process. This time the failure lay at Sue Ellen's door but he could hardly blame her such was the trauma that she had suffered in the aftermath of her assault. Perhaps he should have done more to ensure that she kept up to date with her pills, he wondered, particularly when their love life had got so spectacularly back on track. However, that sort of thing just wasn't him. That was his wife's business to sort out.

Maybe it's just meant to be, he pondered. They were in love and they enjoyed showing each other just how much. Sue Ellen was young and usually fit and strong and they could afford the very best medical care for her and the baby. Plus, child care wouldn't be a problem. They would just draft in another nanny, he told himself.

As he began to feel more excited his thoughts turned to his brother. Bobby and he had always had a fractious, jealous relationship but in the wake of their father's death their relationship had improved somewhat as they united in their aim to run Ewing Oil efficiently and successfully. The first time Pam had been pregnant JR had almost rejoiced when she miscarried, such was his anxiety that his brother would beat him to it by producing the first male heir of the next generation of the family. However, this time, the thought of Bobby and Pam having a son or a daughter hadn't really fazed him. In one way, he was happy for his brother as the pregnancy marked an upturn in his marriage, a fact that took the focus of Bobby's attention right away from Sue Ellen.

JR paused before entering the house, taking Sue Ellen's arm to stop her as well. "I think we should tell the family now. The sooner we do it the better, honey." She looked at him doubtfully. "Right now, JR?" she asked. She hadn't imagined for one minute that amidst all the upset and worry going on right at that minute that it would be appropriate to make the announcement.

"Think about it, Sue Ellen. If Pam does lose the baby tonight or tomorrow and we then have to let them all know it's going to be so much worse" he told her with conviction. Sue Ellen raised her eyebrow in surprise. "It's not like you to come over all sensitive now, JR" she replied. "But you do have a point. Are we going to wait until Bobby's back then?"

JR nodded his head. "As long as it doesn't get too late. You need your rest." As they entered the hall and took off their coats Miss Ellie emerged. "Have you been out?" Sue Ellen nodded her head. "I needed a breath of fresh air, Miss Ellie. JR came to keep me company."

Miss Ellie looked at them. There was something about their expressions that told her there had been more to it than just a winter's evening's stroll. There were no problems in their marriage, she mentally assured herself. If anything, they had seemed happier than ever and, from the occasional sounds emanating from their bedroom, their passionate feelings for each other had certainly not diminished.

"Night cap?" Miss Ellie asked. "Yes please, mama. Have you heard from Bobby?" JR asked. "Yes, he's on his way home. Pam is settled and stable, thankfully, at least for now. He will go back first thing in the morning." JR and Sue Ellen looked at each other. Was there something in the way they did so that was out of the ordinary, Miss Ellie wondered as she poured her son his drink. She gestured to Sue Ellen in her usual fashion to ask if she wanted a drink. "No thank you, Miss Ellie" Sue Ellen responded. "Are you alright, Sue Ellen? I noticed you hardly touched your dinner" her mother-in-law asked her.

"I'm just fine, thank you. It's not been a great day, though, has it?" Sue Ellen replied, glancing meaningfully at her husband. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, when Bobby's back Sue Ellen and I need to talk to you both." "Alright, JR" his mother replied. There was definitely something up, she decided.

Five somewhat awkward minutes later Bobby walked through the door. Realising he was tired and careworn JR poured him a large drink and handed the glass to him. Then he resumed his seat next to Sue Ellen. After hearing an update on Pam's and the baby's condition JR began. "Mama, Bobby, we have some news to tell you. We realise the timing's not the best but, er, the fact is that Sue Ellen and I are going to have another baby" he blurted.

His mother and brother appeared shell-shocked at first which disconcerted JR and Sue Ellen. Recovering her composure, eventually, Miss Ellie was the first to speak. "I take it this wasn't exactly planned? I mean, after what happened with John Ross? And so soon?" JR nodded his head sheepishly. "How do you feel about it?" Bobby asked. "Happy but scared" Sue Ellen admitted. "Well then you both feel exactly the same way as I do at the moment. Congratulations though, to both of you."

Bobby shook JR's hand and kissed Sue Ellen's cheek. "Bobby, about Pam. Will you let her know?" Sue Ellen asked. "We don't want to cause her any upset though. As JR said the timing's not the best, is it?" Bobby sighed. He hadn't comprehended at first the implications for him, but particularly Pam, if they did go on to lose their baby. "I'm sorry, Bobby. We didn't intend this, please believe us" Sue Ellen told him.

"What's done is done" Miss Ellie announced. "We're a family and we must stay strong together no matter what happens. Let's pray for two more healthy additions to the family in the new year."

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	213. Chapter 214

Sue Ellen popped her head around the door to Pam's room. "Hi Pam, guess who's here to see you!" She told her cheerfully. Inside, however, she was nervous. Ella ran through the door towards her aunt's bed. "Ella! Hi sweetie!" Pam greeted the little girl. "She's missed you" her sister-in-law told her. "I've missed her too."

Sue Ellen took a seat and placed her daughter on her knee, offering her a brightly coloured book to look at. For several minutes the two young women interacted with the toddler pointing out pictures and colours and praising her for being able to imitate some of the sounds of the animals depicted in the book.

Once Ella was settled the women were able to talk about other things. "How are you?" Sue Ellen asked. "Better" Pam responded. "The baby is moving a lot more and I feel brighter in myself. I'm hopeful they will let me go home in a day or two." "That's great news, Pam. We've all been so worried about you."

"And you? How are you feeling?" Pam asked. Bobby had gently broken the news to his wife the day after he had been informed. At first, Pam was struck by the apparent unfairness of the situation but quickly realised that her sister-in-law's third pregnancy hadn't been planned and had come as something of a shock. "Sick" Sue Ellen replied flatly, handing Ella a training cup containing nothing but cooled boiled water.

"I know that this came as something of a surprise to you both. Bobby described you both as shell-shocked when you announced the news" Pam told her. "Has it sunk in by now?" Sue Ellen shook her head sadly, alarming her sister-in-law. "Not for me. JR's excited now. I think he's hoping for another boy. Pam, I honestly don't know how I'm going to cope with three such young children."

"You'll have to take all the help you can get" Pam suggested. "Yes, but I love my children and I want to be able to do the lion's share of bringing them up myself. I don't particularly agree with substitute parenting. It's alright for JR. He will be at work most of the time. I don't think he realises just how hard it's going to be. I mean, Ella and John Ross are at different stages of their development but they are both very demanding of my time and attention and now I have to factor in the responsibility of caring for a new baby in just a short time as well."

Pam sighed. "I'm sorry that you feel apprehensive. It is a lot for one parent to contend with but given how well you have coped with your first two I'm sure you will manage. I'll help whenever I can." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. She knew Pam was being genuine but the fact was that, hopefully, she would have her own baby to look after and Sue Ellen remembered all too well how difficult it could be as a first- time mother. There were just so many lifestyle changes to accommodate.

"Have you told your side of the family?" Pam asked. Sue Ellen sighed wearily. "Yes, I called my mother yesterday. Do you know, Pam, she almost accused me of indecency by falling pregnant again so quickly? What will people think? She asked. Anyway, I lost my cool with her and just told her that people could think whatever they like. They'll probably think that JR and I must have a very loving and happy marriage! That shut her up."

Pam giggled. "Anyway, at that point JR took over the call and informed her that he and his family were absolutely delighted by the news, that we were adding to the Ewing empire in the same way that his mama and daddy did. He basically forced her into a corner, made her congratulate rather than castigate us!"

Pam smiled again. She could visualise all too easily the way that JR must have manipulated his interfering and controlling mother-in-law. For that and for standing up for Sue Ellen she could only, in all fairness, admire the man. "And Kristin?" she asked. "Oh, she and Lucy are excited but they're just young girls who don't actually appreciate what it's going to be like for me. To them it's another lovely little baby to play with and fuss over."

Pam watched how her sister-in-law soothed Ella who by then was becoming restless. Snuggling the little girl into her body and offering her a soother it wasn't long before the child succumbed to sleep. "You're a very competent mother, Sue Ellen" Pam told her. Sue Ellen shook her head. "It doesn't always feel that way. Sometimes it's just really hard." She looked almost tearful as she continued to speak. "I can't tell JR how I feel. He'd be disappointed and he'd probably feel that I blamed him, just like I did during that rough period when I was pregnant with John Ross. I don't want him to feel bad because he's got me pregnant again. It was as much, if not more, my fault this time."

"Listen, once that baby has come into the world you'll feel just the same about him or her as you did with the two you have already. Cheer up, Sue Ellen. I don't like to see you this way" Pam informed her. "Yes, you're probably right. I need to pull myself together, don't I? I mean it's not like we don't have the resources to add to our family so quickly. Some people would really struggle to manage a third child. JR and I don't have that to worry about. In any case I shouldn't complain, not to you especially, given all that you and Bobby are going through to have a baby. Take no notice of me, Pam. It's probably just the sickness and hormones talking."

Pam patted her sister-in-law's hand. "That's the spirit, Sue Ellen. What else has been happening at home then?" she enquired, wanting to break Sue Ellen's low mood. Brightening for a few minutes Sue Ellen began to tell Pam all about the family's plans for Christmas and a forthcoming trip JR had arranged for them to the lake house.

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	214. Chapter 215

JR watched Sue Ellen as she rose from the dinner table to clear away the dishes. "Let me help, honey" he offered, noting how her eyes and hair shone in the light of the fire and the hundreds of twinkling fairy lights that adorned the Christmas tree. They were at the lake house with their children for an extended weekend that JR had been able to negotiate with Bobby now that Pam had come home from the hospital.

Sue Ellen smiled at him as he began to rinse the plates before placing them somewhat inexpertly in the dishwasher. He was making an effort, she mused, to ensure that their time away was enjoyable for her. She knew what he would want afterwards given that their children were settled for the night, tucked up in their alternative nursery, and she would give it to him but not until they had talked.

When their tasks were done and the kitchen had been restored to order they sat down on the sofa. "You've made the house lovely for the holiday season" Sue Ellen commented "thank you, JR." He nodded, pleased that she liked the effort he had gone to. It had cost a small fortune for the house and gardens to be transformed but if it made her happy it was worth it.

JR leaned in for a kiss but she refused him. "JR, we need to talk. We can do that later" she told him forcefully. "Sue Ellen? Is there something wrong?" he asked, concerned about her health or that of their baby. "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with me or the baby" she replied, pre-empting his concern. She knew full well what the two of them meant to him, JR's excitement about being a father again growing by the day, only tempered by his worries about her state of health.

He got up and poured himself a drink. She gestured that she didn't want anything and patted the sofa with her hand for him to return. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak. "JR, there's something I need to discuss with you, it's been bothering me for a while but I don't want it to come out wrong."

"Just say it, sugar. You can tell me anything" he encouraged her. Whatever it was he wanted her to get it off her chest as quickly as possible so that they could start to have fun. "You know how much I love you don't you?" JR nodded. Finally, he did. It showed in everything she did for him. "And you know how much Ella and John Ross mean to me?" He nodded again, this time more vigorously. There was no question how much she adored her children. "And you know that, after the initial shock, there was no question of me not going through with having this one?" She patted her tummy gently. "But?" JR asked, sensing that what she was about to tell him was likely to qualify what she had just said before.

"But I'm anxious, JR, about just how difficult I'm, we're, going to find it raising three children so close in age" she blurted, inspecting his expression worriedly. Realising that she obviously had more to say, JR permitted her to carry on speaking. "What concerns me, well there are a few things really. First, we can employ staff to help us but that's not what I ever had in mind for the upbringing of my children. That's my job, to mould and shape them into the hopefully fine adults that they become. However, I'm going to be spread very thinly with three children who are basically all still babies, entirely dependent on me for their care. Second, what if I don't have the same bond with this one as I have with the two older children?" She paused, not caring to admit that the way her in-laws had treated her husband as a child together with her own childhood now preyed heavily on her mind. She didn't really have a favourite between Ella and John Ross, taking great care not to prefer one over the other and to treat them very much as individuals. However, when he was a child JR had been marked out for very different parenting from his brothers and the effect of that upon him, psychologically and emotionally, had been profound. As for her, the harsh and critical parenting style imposed on her had been hurtful and damaging.

She looked at JR expectantly, half hoping that he would have a response that would immediately set her mind at rest but not at all sure that he would. "Sue Ellen, let's face it. It is going to be hard, very hard and I know you appreciate that I won't be able to take anything like as much time off as I did with the first two now that I'm running the company. However, I will help you all I can and so will mama. She may be getting on a bit but that's not stopping her from doing anything these days. As for staff, it's a balance, isn't it? Perhaps a bit of extra help at nights would be beneficial allowing you to raise the children during the day?"

He assessed her expression. She wasn't convinced. The truth was, now that she had said it, neither was he. He had let his own excitement, pride in his virility even, get the better of him. Taking a sip of his bourbon he continued, appreciating that her second concern was even more difficult to address than her first. "As for not bonding with him or her I really don't think you should be concerned. You took to motherhood so well, Sue Ellen, surprisingly well given your youth. You will love this one just as much as the two we have already." She stared at him before responding. "You know what I am getting at, JR. I couldn't bear it if I didn't feel that I could care as much for and about one of our children as the others. It would be like history repeating itself!" At that she became tearful. There, she'd said it, wounding no doubt as it was to him. He took hold of her by the shoulders, determined to jolt her out of her depressing thoughts. "Not gonna happen, darlin" he told her with conviction. "You're not my mama and I'm not my daddy. All our children will be given the same amount of love, affection and time, by both of us. You see I've learnt from what I experienced. It would have been so easy to favour John Ross over Ella, because he's a boy, but I haven't, have I?"

She shook her head, permitting him to brush a stray tear from her face with his finger. It was true. Not once had she seen any evidence of JR prioritising one child over the other. His relationship with both always seemed equal and consistent in its warmth and devotion. Finally, she responded. "You're right. We've learnt from the mistakes made by our parents in the past, mistakes that won't be repeated in the future. Tell me we'll look back on this conversation in five years' time and we'll laugh, about just how ill-founded my fears were?"

JR smiled, got up and then stooped to lift her into his arms. "Yes, we will, sugar. Now come on, I'm taking you upstairs."

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	215. Chapter 216

Sue Ellen woke up and glanced at the clock. It was eight in the morning which surprised her because ordinarily her children would be up and awake much earlier. She turned over in bed and realised that she was alone. She got out of bed, put on her robe and made her way downstairs. Suddenly hit by a wave of nausea she ran back up straight to the bathroom where, kneeling on the floor as she had grown accustomed to, she retched over the toilet basin. When it was over she dried her eyes, stood up and went downstairs.

"Good morning" JR greeted her. Sue Ellen couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. Ella and John Ross were both sitting in their high chairs having what her husband had prepared them for breakfast. In Ella's case, fingers of toast and strawberry jam which she was devouring messily. John Ross was having apricot flavoured yogurt which his daddy was attempting to spoon into his mouth. The little boy was being somewhat un- cooperative, though, as his mama could tell from the amount around his mouth and in his hair.

"Good morning, JR" she responded. "Thank you for letting me have a lie in. It was thoughtful of you. However, this kitchen's a bit of a mess and is going to take some tidying." JR flashed one of his cheeky smiles at her. "This is harder than it looks, honey. I think I'm beginning to appreciate where you are coming from after our talk last night. Anyway, after what followed that I guessed you might need a little extra rest" he replied, winking at the thought of their activities later that evening.

She poured herself some coffee and began to deal with the dishes leaving her husband to continue looking after the children. Ella started to become restless. "Down, dada" she commanded. "What do you say?" her father asked her. "Pease" she responded at which he lifted her from her seat delivering a kiss to her forehead as he did so. Realising his mistake, he quickly picked up a damp cloth from beside the sink and chased his resistant daughter with it, attempting to remove the traces of jam around her mouth and on her fingers. Sue Ellen giggled. He was trying, she thought, but his instincts weren't always on the money.

At that John Ross began to protest. The little boy was becoming more and more mobile by the day. He could crawl confidently and in recent days had begun to pull himself to stand against the furniture. It would not be long before he too was walking. Seeing his sister freed, John Ross wanted the same. This time, before he was let down, his mama tidied him up, JR observing intently how she managed to extricate the yogurt from his face and hair. "There you go, all clean again and ready to play" she told him as she lifted him carefully from the highchair. "JR please go through and watch them. You have to have eyes in the back of your head these days!"

JR did as he was told only just preventing disaster with the Christmas tree which represented a major attraction to his children. Selecting some toys from the box that they kept at the house he sat down next to them on the floor and began to play. He was better at playing with his son than his daughter, a fact that he couldn't help. He wasn't used to dealing with baby dolls or toy tea sets. These items were alien to him as one of three boys brought up to be a "man's man". Much to his relief Sue Ellen came through. She placed herself on the sofa and encouraged Ella to pour her a cup of pretend tea. Once his little girl was occupied JR began to help John Ross build a tower of bricks. "Clever boy" he encouraged the youngster. "That's the Ewing Oil building and right up here is where you and I will work together one day."

Sue Ellen giggled. That was such a JR-thing to say. "Ella might want to work there too" she commented as she took a fake sip from the cup and saucer her little girl had handed to her. "I know" her husband replied, smiling warmly at his daughter. "You're very clever, Ella. You might just turn out to be a great oil woman yourself!"

The tableau of domestic tranquillity at the lake house was in marked contrast to what was taking place at Southfork right at that moment. Waking to a sharp pain in her lower abdomen Pam panicked. "Bobby! I'm in pain" she told her husband, waking him from his sleep. Bobby turned over to face her. "Where?" he asked worriedly. "My stomach. Something's not right. Oh, please God, no!"

Bobby sprang from the bed and turned on the light. "I'll fetch mama" he told her. He rushed down the corridor to his mother's room. She wasn't there. He then shouted loudly from the top of the stairs. "Mama! There's something wrong with Pam!" Hearing her son shout Miss Ellie rushed upstairs. "What is it?" she asked him. "Stomach pains" he responded. "She's not going to lose the baby, is she?" he asked. "Let me see her" Miss Ellie demanded, fearing the worst.

They entered the bedroom together by which time Pam was writhing on the bed in agony. "Call an ambulance, now!" Miss Ellie told her son. "Pam, try to keep still, dear" she advised. "I can't! The pain is so intense" her daughter-in-law moaned. She's in labour, Miss Ellie decided, trying in her panicked state to calculate just how many weeks the young woman had been pregnant. This was what had happened to her grandson all over again, she concluded miserably.

She gently pushed the sheet away from Pam to try to assess the situation. When she did so she was horrified to note blood pooling from underneath the young woman. She rushed back out of the door and joined her son. "Bobby, you need to tell them- Pam's bleeding and it's heavy."

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	216. Chapter 217

Dr Janet Scott stood over the bed and began to speak in a gentle, measured manner. "I'm so very sorry this has happened, particularly as I was more optimistic that you might have been out of the woods this time" she told a distraught Pamela and Bobby. Struggling to speak Bobby eventually responded with the question that the doctor knew was coming but she couldn't really answer.

"What happened?" he eventually asked. "It's difficult to say, other than that we always knew that Pamela was likely to struggle to reach full-term. I had been hoping we could get the baby to several more weeks' gestation though, then he might have had a chance." "He?" Pam sobbed. "Yes, the baby was a little boy. Once again, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I know how much you both wanted this child."

Bobby shook his head. "What now?" he asked, an air of desperation pervading his speech. Dr Scott pulled up a chair and sat down before responding. "I'm going to level with you both. I would not recommend you trying again, not now, not ever. It is only likely to lead to further heartbreak." Pam's sobs intensified as her dream of motherhood was delivered the fatal blow. The doctor stroked her arm to soothe her patient before continuing. "Have you ever considered adoption?" she asked. Bobby stared at her. "Well, not really. It was mentioned briefly but that was ages ago. I'm honestly not sure, not after this. Maybe it's just not meant to be, us having a family I mean."

Pam's interest was, however, pricked. Drying her eyes and giving her husband "that look" for speaking on both their behalves she sat up gingerly in bed prompting the doctor to help her. "Is that a possibility?" she asked. The doctor nodded firmly. "Oh yes, without a doubt. A young couple with your resources would almost certainly be approved as adopters. There's a process to go through first but you would definitely be successful." "Bobby?" Pam asked. Her husband shook his head. "I don't know, sweetie, we need time to get over this first. I can't make any rash decisions, not right now."

"Of course you can't" Dr Scott interjected realising that what she had said, or the way she had said it, might not have been in the most diplomatic of tones. "I was throwing it out there for you both to think about. I will tell you something that I don't routinely disclose to the patients I treat. My husband and I adopted two children because we weren't able to have our own biological children. Our boy is away at college and our girl will graduate from high school next summer."

The young couple stared at her. They hadn't imagined for one minute that the doctor must have experienced just what they had been going through at some time when she was younger. "Oh, and I can tell you this, hand on heart, we couldn't have loved our children any more if they had been ours biologically. They have both brought such joy to our lives, I can't describe it. Think about it, that's all I'm suggesting. Now, do you have any more questions for me?"

"Not right now, thank you" Pam replied. "However, I'm sure that the more I reflect on this the more questions there will be." At that she began to cry once more. "I'll leave you alone then. Mr Ewing your wife has been through a great deal, much more than last time. She's going to need you. I will come and check on you later, Pam."

Closing the door quietly behind her Dr Scott turned to see the concerned faces of the extended family. Miss Ellie's face was streaked with tears as was Sue Ellen's. Even JR, not the most emotional of men in her experience, wore a stern, pained expression. Sensing that she was going to face a barrage of questions she gestured for them all to sit.

"She's lost the baby, hasn't she?" Miss Ellie cried. Dr Scott nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm very sorry." "Why?" Miss Ellie cried. "Medically Pamela was always going to struggle to have a child successfully. I can't go into the reasons, patient confidentiality prevents me from doing that. "

"How is Pam?" Sue Ellen asked. "She's tired, upset and uncomfortable but, ultimately, she will make a full recovery. I mean she will be well in herself…" "But?" JR asked pre-empting what the doctor was about to say. "But it's highly unlikely, Mr Ewing, that your brother and sister-in-law will be able to have a child in the future" Dr Scott replied flatly.

"I don't understand!" Miss Ellie exclaimed. "Pam seemed a lot better and she was taking things easy as you advised. I take it that you've informed them then?" The doctor nodded. "Yes, it was my duty to." She then turned her attention to Sue Ellen, her patient for a third time now. "And how are you, Sue Ellen" she asked, conscious of the young woman's distress. "I'm fine, thank you. I just feel awful for them both" she answered, drying her eyes with a handkerchief that JR offered to her.

"While you're here let me just check you over. Then, after a short visit to Pam, I recommend you go home and get some rest." JR nodded in agreement as the doctor led Sue Ellen off into a nearby consulting room.

Dr Scott watched the blood pressure gauge carefully before noting the result. "Very good" she reassured her patient. Given the shock that the other young Mrs Ewing had just had she had expected it to be higher. She then proceeded to examine the small yet burgeoning baby bump. "Feels good" she told Sue Ellen. "Now, how about the sickness?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes, again this morning when I first got up but nothing intolerable. Somehow this pregnancy seems easier than the other two. However, I'm worried that it's the calm before the storm!"

The doctor stared at her patient. "Sue Ellen, I must say I was surprised to see you pregnant again, so quickly after the ordeal that you went through with your son." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled shyly, almost in embarrassment. "Not as surprised as we were" she joked, trying to lighten matters. "It was a massive shock to us both but we've come to terms with the idea and JR is trying his best to help." Dr Scott nodded. She knew men like JR Ewing all too well, she mused. He'd be all puffed up about becoming a father again and no doubt he was attempting to assist his young wife a little more but, realistically, how long was that going to last given that he was now running his late father's company?

"Alright, you're good to go. Take it easy, Sue Ellen. I'll see you in my rooms next week." She watched the beautiful young woman exit the room and then set about completing her clinical note. As Sue Ellen made her way back to Pam's room she was greeted by JR. "All is fine, JR" she reassured him but that wasn't the reason why he had come to fetch her. "Sue Ellen, Pam won't see you, honey. She's too distressed apparently. We may as well just go home" he informed her.

Tbc

 **No chapter now for over a week. Big work on. Thank you as always for reading and reviewing :)**


	217. Chapter 218

Pam was kept in hospital for four days after she had lost her baby boy. During that time she sank into a deep depression with nothing that her husband or mother-in-law could say or do to alleviate it. Her refusal to see Sue Ellen continued, unable to bear the sight of the young woman in her pregnant state. This upset Sue Ellen although she was able to acknowledge how difficult the situation was for Pam and the rottenness of the timing of her accidental pregnancy.

"What do I say?" Sue Ellen asked JR anxiously as they were getting dressed on the morning that they knew Pam was to be discharged home. JR shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, honey. Nothing any of us says will bring the child back" he answered. Sue Ellen sighed before responding. JR just doesn't understand she thought as she buttoned her shirt dress, the physical signs that she was with child becoming more obvious by the day. "I mean, JR, in my particular position and given that Pam wouldn't even see me for a few minutes while she was in hospital. Here, with two young children to run after, it's not even as though I can keep a low profile. I'm going to be a constant reminder of all that she's lost."

JR approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist, stroking her abdomen as he spoke. "Well that's not your fault and there's nothing you can do about it, Sue Ellen" he told her, nuzzling his face in the back of her neck before kissing her gently. "It's over and nothing will change that. Come on now, breakfast will be ready."

As they walked down the stairs they were joined by Lucy. The young girl touched Sue Ellen's arm gently to keep her back for a moment. "Sue Ellen?" she asked "what do I say to Pam when she gets home?" Sue Ellen smiled, pleased that her niece appreciated the need for delicacy around her other aunt's feelings. "Just tell her that you are sorry and then behave normally. The sooner things settle down the better" she advised, patting Lucy's shoulder for reassurance. If only it were that easy for me, Sue Ellen mused as she took her seat at the table, a knot of dread tightening in her stomach as she did so.

Pam was brought home a little later, well after JR had rushed off to work. The truth was that he didn't know what to say either. If he commiserated with his sister-in-law she was bound to accuse him of being insincere and if he said nothing that would almost certainly be interpreted as callous insensitivity. The truth was that JR didn't really know how he felt about the loss of his brother's son. He was torn between sympathy for Bobby not being able to experience all that came with being a parent and jubilance that he remained the only Ewing son who had been able to produce a male heir.

When Pam walked through the door, still weak and therefore unsteady on her feet after her ordeal, Sue Ellen and the children were in the living room. Ella and John Ross were sitting on the rug playing with the toys that their mama had provided for them. Occasionally one or both would get up to approach the Christmas tree that had been placed in the far corner prompting their mother to her feet to avoid the destruction of some of Miss Ellie's most treasured baubles. At other times the two youngsters would squabble over a particular toy requiring gentle intervention on their mother's part.

As she came through the hallway Pam glanced to her left and saw them. It was a tableau of family life that wrenched her heart and made her sick to the stomach. Sue Ellen glanced at her shyly. She was about to welcome Pam home but her assessment of the young woman's expression prevented her from doing so. Pam was devastated, she realised, and there was nothing that she could say that would make things better. Platitudinous comment could only make things worse she decided as she looked away on the pretext that one of her children needed her.

Bobby and Miss Ellie sighed sadly. This was bound to happen, the latter thought, but the reality was that this was Sue Ellen's and the children's home and they were entitled to live life normally and without restriction notwithstanding what had happened.

"I need to go to bed" Pam announced wearily. "Yes of course" her mother-in-law replied gesturing for Bobby to assist her up the stairs. When they had disappeared from view Miss Ellie entered the living room and smiled warmly at her grandchildren. "Is everything alright?" she enquired of Sue Ellen who was wearing a sad, pained expression. "Yes, thank you, Miss Ellie. All is fine with us but…."

"But not where Pam is concerned?" "Miss Ellie she won't even look at me. I just don't know what to do. I've contemplated making myself as scarce as possible but with the children and Christmas fast approaching it's just not realistic. I wish Pam would speak to me, to allow me to let her know how sorry I am about what has happened." "Give her some time, Sue Ellen. It's likely that she's going to take to her bed for several days now anyway. You just get on with looking after these two little darlings and yourself and that little baby growing inside you" Miss Ellie advised kindly. She watched as Sue Ellen resumed entertaining her children before taking a seat and interacting with the two of them herself. There hadn't been much joy in the household lately, she pondered, other than what her granddaughter and grandson produced.

"Are you feeling well in yourself?" Miss Ellie asked once the children were completely engrossed in their play. Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine thank you. The sickness is finally abating and I've got a good level of energy, at least for now. However, the time is going to come when I'll need a bit more in the way of help. I need to interview for another nanny as soon as the new year comes."

Miss Ellie studied her daughter-in-law. It was true, she thought, Sue Ellen did look very well these days, nothing like she had been in her last pregnancy. Worry suddenly struck the woman, though. What if Sue Ellen's health took a downturn further down the line? The family had experienced so much loss lately that would be the final straw she concluded anxiously before pushing the thought deliberately from her mind. Surely the Ewings deserve a break this time? She assured herself before making to stand to discuss the dinner arrangements with the staff.

Tbc

 **Sorry for not updating recently. Massive amounts of work to do. I am going to continue with this and my other story as soon as things calm down. Thank you for reading and reviewing : )**


	218. Chapter 219

Sue Ellen peered through the glass of the French doors. Pamela was sitting outside on the veranda, wrapped up from the cold in a warm jacket and with a cashmere blanket over her knees. She had a book in her hands. Sue Ellen knew her well enough to appreciate that she was taking none of it in, preferring instead to stare on ahead lost in her own thoughts.

The children were having their afternoon nap and the house was quiet otherwise. Now might be the chance for them to talk she thought as she moved the door handle and slid the door open. Her action attracted Pam's attention. She looked Sue Ellen up and down for a few seconds and then concentrated determinedly on the vista ahead of her. If they were going to talk Sue Ellen would have to be the one to push it.

"Pamela? Please can I sit down?" Sue Ellen asked, not presuming even to draw out a chair for fear of rejection. "Be my guest" Pam answered wearily, still refusing to make eye contact. "How are you feeling?" Sue Ellen asked before instantaneously regretting her opening gambit. "How do you think?" Pam responded, irritated by the inanity of the question.

Realising that she needed to work considerably harder, Sue Ellen continued. "Pamela, I'm so sorry about what happened, truly I am. There aren't any words that I can say to make it better but as long as you know, I'm devastated for you and for Bobby." "You're sorry, Sue Ellen? I bet JR isn't sorry one bit" Pam countered angrily "he has everything he wants and Bobby and I have nothing!"

Sue Ellen shook her head sadly. "No Pam, JR takes no pleasure in what's happened to you. He just doesn't know what to say, a bit like me really." Pam looked Sue Ellen in the eye. She was tearful, full of frustration and bitterness, the sight of her sister-in-law's glowing skin and glossy hair, the hallmarks of her blooming pregnancy, were stinging.

"Do you know what it's like, Sue Ellen?" she asked. Sue Ellen looked at her quizzically. "Do you? No, of course you don't because you've never had to go through labour and give birth to a child that you knew was already dead!" Sue Ellen shook her head. "No Pam, I don't and it breaks my heart that you had to do that. Pam, please don't hate me. I love you, as my sister-in-law but more than that as my friend. You and I were everything to each other during those dark days following Jock's death. We kept this family going between us and I'll also always forever be grateful for all your support with the care of Ella and John Ross. I just can't bear the fact that just seeing me, like I am now, is so painful for you" Sue Ellen pleaded.

The sad sincerity of the young woman's plea was not lost on Pamela. It was true, she mused, that she and Sue Ellen had bonded in circumstances of real adversity. What was the point in losing a deep and genuine friendship basically because Sue Ellen had what she had not?

Pam sighed. "I don't hate you, Sue Ellen. It's just so hard seeing you with your children and knowing you have another on the way, a whole future as a complete family right before you" she told her. Sue Ellen gently patted her hand. "I understand, honestly I do. I just want to be able to offer you the support you need. What about seeing my therapist? She has been really great with me."

Pam shook her head. "Thank you but I'm not ready. Hell, I can't even talk to Bobby about the way I'm feeling let alone to someone who's a stranger." "It's the fact that she's not a member of the family that I think helps" Sue Ellen replied. "It's as if it's easier to offload to someone who isn't personally connected to all that's going on. Think about it, Pam."

Pam nodded. "I will, I promise. I just can't seem to rid myself of this black cloud that's constantly over me." "How's Bobby doing?" Sue Ellen asked, conscious that she had been keeping a low profile where her brother-in-law was concerned too.

Pam shrugged her shoulders. "To be completely frank I don't know, Sue Ellen. He has buried his head in his work as a distraction and is as uncommunicative as I am about the issue when he's at home. He won't even discuss other ways of us having a family." Sue Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Adoption?" she asked. Pam nodded. "Yes, it was Dr Scott who suggested we think about it. Did you know that her children were adopted?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "No, I didn't. Maybe it's a little bit too soon, Pam, for Bobby I mean. Perhaps if you were to give him a little more time he'd be more open to considering it?"

Pam was not assuaged by the suggestion though. "Sue Ellen, I need something right now to give me some hope for the future! I can't carry on like this. It's as if there's nothing to look forward to. It's all too depressing!"

"Do you want to adopt?" Sue Ellen asked. Pam nodded vigorously. "I want a new-born baby. I don't mind if it's a boy or a girl, I know I could love him or her despite the fact that Bobby and I wouldn't be the biological parents. Sue Ellen, I just know it" she cried. "Do you want me to try to talk to Bobby?" "Would you?" Pam asked, through her tears. "Of course, I'll try" Sue Ellen responded, handing Pam a tissue from her pocket. "Aren't there legal processes to be gone through though?" "Yes, but Bobby and I have the money to fast track all of that through. There's absolutely no reason why we couldn't successfully adopt in a matter of just a few months."

The door slid open once more. The two young women looked up to see Teresa. "Mrs Ewing, I'm sorry to disturb you" she addressed Sue Ellen "but I have your mother on the telephone and she says she needs to speak to you urgently."

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	219. Chapter 220

"Mother, I can't understand you! You're going to have to calm down" Sue Ellen advised Patricia as she strained to make sense of what the woman was trying to tell her. "Please, take a few deep breaths and start again otherwise how am I going to be able to help you?" Sue Ellen remained silent as her mother's sobs gradually subsided. When she was aware that the woman had regained her composure, she spoke once again.

"Now, tell me, slowly and carefully and try not to get distressed." Patricia took a gulp of air before beginning. "Sue Ellen, we are ruined!" she announced dramatically and in that manner of hers that had always irritated her daughter. "What are people going to say? What are the Ewings going to say? This impacts on them as well as us!"

"What?" Sue Ellen asked, her sense of frustration growing. Her mother had interrupted an important and heartfelt conversation with Pam for this sort of nonsense. What possibly could have happened to lead to ruination for the Ewings as well as the Shepards?

"Your sister has been seeing a much older man behind my back and she's pregnant by him!" Patricia shrieked. Suddenly it all made sense. "No!" Sue Ellen cried but then instantly reminded herself that she might be overheard and needed to keep the level of her voice in check. "She's only just sixteen!" she whispered through gritted teeth. "I know! Sue Ellen, what are we going to do? We're going to be the talk of Austin when people find out!"

Sue Ellen's mind began to race. She had never had much time for her mother and she and Kristin weren't exactly close but this time she empathised for their predicament. There was also JR and her in-laws to consider. JR wasn't likely to enjoy this development for one second, she reflected as she began to wonder what might be done.

Pausing before she articulated her thoughts she then responded. "What if nobody in Austin has to know?" she asked. "It's going to be obvious in a couple of months Sue Ellen!" her mother shrieked back at her. "No, mother, it doesn't have to be. What if I speak to JR? To ask him and then his mama can Kristin not come here for the balance of her pregnancy? You could tell people that the Ewings are sponsoring her to be educated at a fancy school in Dallas but the reality would be that Kristin would be taught here at Southfork by a private tutor. Then, when she has had the baby, he or she could be quietly adopted. It would be like wiping the past and starting again."

"Do you think Miss Ellie and JR would go for it?" Patricia asked, a wave of relief that at least the bare bones of a potential plan were emerging. "I don't know. All I can do is ask." "How would the adoption be handled? I mean, would that not attract publicity?" "Potentially none, if the adoption were handled very privately" Sue Ellen replied. "What do you mean?" Patricia asked, intrigued. "You see, Bobby and Pam have just lost their child and they've been advised not to try again. Pam wants to adopt and what better than for them to adopt my nephew or niece? It would become a Ewing baby just like your other grandchildren."

"Will you speak to them, please?" Patricia pleaded. "Yes, I will. I'll start with JR because if he's against it then we are going to be back to the drawing board. You'd have to handle Kristin afterwards though. It's her child and her body and she has to make the ultimate decision you know. Best not to say anything to her until I have the family's say so."

"Oh, I can manage that little minx of a sister of yours. She's bawling her eyes out upstairs at present. The last thing she wants is to be a single teenage mother. Thank you, so much, Sue Ellen. I'll be forever in your debt and that of the Ewings if this can come off" Patricia told her, grateful that her elder daughter was in the position she was in. If anyone could fix this, it would be the Ewings, she thought. "Mother, I'm going to go now. JR will be home soon and there's no time like the present. I'll be in touch when there's a decision."

Sue Ellen replaced the receiver and went back outside to re-join Pam who was curious to know what had been so urgent about Mrs Shepard's call. "Oh, it was only my mother being totally dramatic as usual about the arrangements for her and Kristin to visit over Christmas" Sue Ellen lied. She couldn't get Pam's hopes up only for them to be dashed, she worried.

The two young women sat and chatted for a while longer until it was time to get ready for dinner. "Please come down and join us tonight" Sue Ellen asked. "It would be lovely to have you at the table to talk to. There's only so much that Miss Ellie and Lucy can say and JR and Bobby always talk business" Sue Ellen asked. Pam shrugged her shoulders. "I can't hide away forever can I? Plus, it's going to be Christmas soon and I have to make an effort then." Sue Ellen smiled. What a wonderful Christmas this could be for Pam and Bobby if only the family could agree to taking Kristin in.

Thirty minutes later, as she was putting on the dress that she had selected for dinner, JR came in. "Good evening" Sue Ellen greeted him, stopping what she was doing to deliver a long and languorous kiss. She needed to butter him up. "Mmm, that was nice" JR commented as they broke off. He began to undo the buttons on her dress that she had just done up moments before. "Come on, sugar, let me" he asked, nibbling her ear lobe before kissing the nape of her neck. "If I let you, can we talk about something afterwards?" she asked, appreciating that putting him in a good mood before delivering the news would be a worthwhile tactic. "Sure honey" he told her, removing her dress and letting it fall to the floor.

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	220. Chapter 221

JR groaned in release before kissing Sue Ellen tenderly on the lips. After the day he had had at the office he had needed some attention from his wife and she had given it willingly. He withdrew and lay on his back still panting from his exertions. Sue Ellen propped herself up on her elbow and gazed into his eyes.

"Uh huh, honey, so you need to talk? Fire away" he told her, reminded by her expression, which had suddenly turned serious, that she had something that she needed to unburden herself of. "Will you please not interrupt, JR, until I'm done? This is difficult enough as it is" she told him, worrying him further. What if there's a problem with the unborn baby or her health? He wondered anxiously.

As she began and then got further in concerning the proposed plan to deal with Kristin's disgrace it was JR's turn to become serious. Sue Ellen watched him as he began to try to comprehend what she was saying together with all the implications that came with the idea. "And so, when the baby has arrived there will be a very private adoption…." She finished, knowing that her husband wasn't buying it from the incredulous way he was looking at her and the distinct pause before he spoke.

"No Sue Ellen" he told her firmly. "You and I are not adopting Kristin's child. We don't need to adopt, I don't want to and what was it that you have been saying about your worries about coping with the three young children that we will have? A fourth that isn't even ours would be ludicrous."

Sue Ellen smiled, relieved that he had misunderstood something that she could quickly correct. "Not us JR! Bobby and Pam was who I meant. That is if they want to but I'm confident that Pam would jump at the chance. She's already been asking Bobby to consider adoption as the solution to their childlessness" she responded, hoping that her words would assuage him.

JR shook his head, still unconvinced. "Why should we have to help your younger sister, honey? It's her mess and she needs to own it." "Because it would only be a matter of time before Kristin's disgrace is linked to me and that then means to you and all the Ewing family. Do you want that topic to be the talk of the town? The tittle tattle and spurious gossip that already follows us is wearisome as it is. However, it would be nothing by comparison to this" she responded determinedly.

JR stared at her. Damn, she has a point, he concluded, visualising the reception they would receive at the Oil Barons' Club if the news broke. Trying to rationalise his thoughts, he envisaged further, perhaps more fundamental issues. "What about Kristin? How does she feel about this?" he asked. That question was all too easy for Sue Ellen to answer. "JR, you should know by now that my little sister's ambition has no bounds. She's not going to be saddled with an illegitimate child at the age of 16. She's made a mistake, there's no doubt about that, but she's not going to let it affect the rest of her life. She knows adoption is the only way forward and an adoption essentially into the extended family would be the best of all worlds."

"But what about her and you? I mean seeing her child, you seeing your nephew or niece, being brought up by Bobby and Pam, neither of you able to say or do anything. Would that not be very difficult?" "I've thought about that and do you know what, where I'm concerned, it would make me happy to see your brother and sister-in-law bringing the child up because I know them and I know how much love, care and attention they would give to him or her. As for Kristin, she's just biding her time to escape from our mother to college. After that the world will be her oyster. We will hardly, if ever, see her and, frankly, when we do she won't be interested in the child."

"God, Sue Ellen. Even if I thought it was a good idea there's mama to persuade. Is she really going to go for this?" he asked, still deeply perplexed by the unexpected and messy development that none of them exactly needed in their lives. "She will if it makes Bobby and Pam happy" Sue Ellen replied. "That's all your mama wants, us all to be happy."

"I don't even know how we are going to tell her" JR answered doubtfully. "Well, it's my family and I think I should be the one to do it. JR, there's no time like the present. If Kristin is going to come to live here for a while it needs to happen as soon as possible. My mother is at her wits end and, although we've never been close, I do feel a sense of responsibility towards her, and to Kristin. The reality is that without us, without your family, there's no solution to the problem that might avoid the ruination of my mother and sister."

"Could she not get rid of it?" JR asked. "You know, there are doctors out there who would do it for the right price." Sue Ellen shook her head vigorously. "I'm not totally naïve, JR. I've thought about that but that way forward carries immense risks not only to Kristin physically but also emotionally and psychologically in the future. My mother might go for it as a quick fix but it would be irresponsible in the extreme to take the risks that go with it in my opinion."

"Alright then, how are you going to tackle this?" he asked, still dubious of the proposal. "I thought I would do it over dinner with the whole family present and able to contribute their views. That includes Lucy because she'd be keeping one hell of a secret and there's also the matter of making adjustments to the way we live until the baby is born. There will come a time when Southfork can't be an open house to all of our friends for fear of being found out. We all need to contemplate what that would be like."

"Kristin would effectively be a prisoner here, wouldn't she?" JR asked. "Yes, that's right but there are worse places to be captive than here. She can swim and take walks between her lessons. She would also be looked after in her pregnancy very well. I'm sure my doctor would take her on and see her here rather than at the clinic. JR, this can work if we are all committed to it" Sue Ellen told him, the vehemence in her voice all too evident.

"Right then, let's ask" JR replied, still unconvinced.

Tbc

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly. Busy with work unfortunately : )**


	221. Chapter 222

Miss Ellie stared incredulously at Sue Ellen as the young woman launched into a speech she had hurriedly prepared as she got ready for dinner. For the briefest of moments, she glanced at her eldest son and perceived that he had doubts. However, Sue Ellen was determined to finish her "pitch".

Before she could do so Pam correctly anticipated how it was going to end- a brand new baby for her and Bobby! Throwing her hands in the air the young woman exclaimed "Bobby! It's meant to be! This is the answer to our prayers. Kristin and Patricia will be helped too!"

Bobby sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, sweetie" he eventually responded, much to Pam's disappointment. Sue Ellen paused to assess the situation before deciding how to continue. Lucy kept quiet but was smirking into her dinner, thrilled by the downfall of a girl that she had never been particularly fond of, someone who had always been touted by her pushy mother as perfect and in some way superior to her.

Miss Ellie appeared perplexed. On the one hand, she was still listening and not objecting but her expression told Sue Ellen that her mother-in-law's feelings were mixed to say the least. The same was to be said of her husband and brother-in-law who both looked troubled. Only Pam, eyes brimming with tears, was on side and that wasn't exactly unexpected. Here she was being offered a baby, the thing she wanted most in the world, the person who she knew would render her marriage and her life complete.

Breaking the silence that had descended around the table, Miss Ellie spoke. "Gosh, Sue Ellen, this is way too much to take in all at once. I need time to think" she told the young woman. "Please, Miss Ellie!" Pam pleaded. "Please don't reject this out of hand."

"JR?" his mother asked. "I won't lie, mama. I have my reservations. Sue Ellen knows that. I trust your motivation, honey, but I can envisage trouble ahead. What if this all goes horribly wrong?" "Why would it?" Pam asked, desperation in her voice all too evident. "Kristin doesn't want the baby but Bobby and I do!"

"Steady on, Pam" Bobby advised her. "I haven't made that decision, at least not yet. JR's right. There are so many possible future ramifications involved here. I need time to think things through." "Do you think this will go wrong, Sue Ellen?" Pam asked, remaining determined. Sue Ellen shook her head. "No, I truly don't. I know my younger sister. She's not interested in having a child. She's made a huge mistake and realises that this is the only way out for her. She will put the child up for adoption whether you and Bobby take him or her or not. This is the opportunity you have both waited for."

Pam smiled at Sue Ellen. She at least had one ally to rely upon. "Why is this suddenly a Ewing problem, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked, whisking Teresa who had just entered away from the dining table with her hand. "Not yet, thank you Teresa. I'll tell you when the table needs to be cleared."

"It's not a Ewing problem, except in the respect that I am a Ewing now, and this is my little sister and my mother. If I can't help them in a time of need then nobody can. Look, if you agree to this I'll make sure that Kristin is no trouble. I will be the one who directs and advises her. I will be the one to make sure all goes as smoothly as it can do."

Miss Ellie shook her head. "You seem to forget, dear, that in four months' time you'll be a mother again yourself, with all the responsibility that goes with it. Your health and that of your children must come first." She shot a glance at JR who was nodding his head. He was going along with this but only up to a point. Miss Ellie could tell he wasn't convinced.

"I will help!" Pam exclaimed. "I can give Kristin the support she needs. It's only right if we are going to adopt the baby." "Pam, will you just stop?" Bobby asked annoyedly. He knew how insistent his wife could be when she became seized of an idea. She just wouldn't let it go.

"No Bobby, I won't stop! I want this child and I know I can be a good mother to him or her. I also know you can be just the father that this baby needs" Pam insisted.

"Lucy?" Miss Ellie asked. "You've been very quiet. What do you think?" Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "Makes no difference to me, grandma. What I will say though is think how happy it would make Pam to become a mommy herself. Can't you tell how much this means to her?"

The simplicity with which Lucy spoke in defence of her young aunt struck Miss Ellie. Yes, she was being naïve and her thinking lacked analysis but, on the other hand, if this was what it took to bring Pam out of her debilitating, persisting depression and give her hope for the future then why argue?

"As for you, Bobby, you'll make a great daddy. Between the pair of you Kristin's child will be very much loved" Lucy continued. Bobby's expression was next to soften, if only ever so slightly.

"Let's sleep on it. Sue Ellen, Pam, I'm not saying yes but I'm also not rejecting this out of hand. What I will need to do is speak to Patricia. I'm not allowing her to use this development as a vehicle to permit her to control what goes on here. There would have to be the clearest of ground rules."

Pam looked at Sue Ellen and the two women smiled warmly at each other. Miss Ellie was on the turn, as was Bobby. As for JR, as long as the presence of Kristin did not affect the way he led his life he could be managed, Sue Ellen calculated.

tbc


	222. Chapter 223

"There's only JR left now" Pam told Sue Ellen as they sipped tea in the living room, the latter keeping a close eye on the movements of her children. "Don't worry, Pam. I can handle JR" Sue Ellen responded confidently. "I just need you and Miss Ellie to have these two for the night."

Much to the two young women's surprise, it had not taken long for Miss Ellie to agree to Kristin coming to live at Southfork until after she had had her baby. Her assertive conversation with Patricia reassured her that there would be no trouble caused. The truth was that Patricia Shepard was desperate and, in her desperation, she was chastened. She would submit to Miss Ellie's wishes at all times, she would back off where Kristin was concerned and, effectively, would leave the Ewing family in charge. In return, she and Kristin were to be invited to Southfork for Christmas and, after the holiday was over, Patricia would return home, alone.

Bobby fell in line with his mother fairly quickly thereafter. He could see how much Pam had brightened at the prospect of having a new-born baby to care for but, more fundamentally, he could see a certain attraction in the child being related to his sister-in-law. No matter what happened to his brother's marriage, there would be another strong and lasting reason for Sue Ellen to remain connected to the family, he calculated deviously before feeling guilty once more at the thought that his feelings towards his sister-in-law were, once more, influencing his decisions.

"Can you watch the children for me for a minute, please?" Sue Ellen asked Pam. Pam nodded. "Gladly" she replied. "Ella, John Ross, do you want to come with me to see the ponies?" Ella jumped up quickly in response, prompting her little brother to follow suit. "Let's get our coats and boots on" their aunt suggested, leaving Sue Ellen free to do whatever it was she had in mind.

By the time the three of them had come back Sue Ellen had an overnight bag packed. She had also changed into a flattering knee length dress that skimmed over her baby bump and accentuated the rest of her body which, though still slim, had developed a more curvaceous appearance. "I'm taking JR out for dinner tonight- to talk him round" she told Pam, winking at her as she did so. Picking up her children one by one and hugging and kissing them warmly she bade them farewell. "Be good for grandma and aunty Pam" she told them. "Mama and daddy will see you tomorrow when you wake up." Ella began to protest, stamping her little feet on the hall floor, but was soon distracted by the promise of one of the candy canes that adorned the Christmas tree and, at that, Sue Ellen made her escape.

She arrived at the Ewing Oil building to find her husband somewhat frazzled from the trials of the day. "Honey?" he asked as she entered his office, closing the door quietly behind her. "I've come to take you to dinner. It's been ages since you and I had a date" she informed him, slipping her coat off and taking a seat opposite him.

The temptation to argue that he was tired and just needed to go home for an early night was quelled as soon as he had taken her appearance in. She had made a real effort for him and looked stunning, he thought, as he eyed her cleavage lasciviously and studied how brightly her eyes shone in the light of his desk lamp. "Right then. I'll just go and freshen up" he answered, making to stand. She stood when he did and moved to his side of the desk. Pretending to adjust his tie, their lips met and, within seconds, they were engrossed in a passionate embrace, JR's hands all over her, groping and kneading, making him erect.

"Shall we have a little appetiser right here?" she murmured. "Lock the door, JR." She had him right where she wanted him and, by the time his night to remember was over, she was sure that she would have him in line. JR went quickly to the door and engaged the catch even though he was confident that everyone else had gone for the evening. He returned to her, catching her in his arms once more, taking up from where they had momentarily left off.

Her hand moved to his crotch, her touch causing him to groan with pleasure. "Mmm….darlin" he responded before returning the gesture by lifting her hem and placing his hand inside her panties. She was wet for him, ready, but he didn't want to fuck her just yet. He wanted her to take him in his mouth first. He pushed her gently to her knees. Knowing what he wanted she began to undo his belt followed by his flies. As she released him she gasped at the sight of him. He was magnificently hard for her already.

She began to lick the end, slowly and languorously, causing him to moan. "Yes, Sue Ellen" he told her "suck me now, take all of me in." She did as he commanded, permitting him to take her hair and push himself right to the back of her throat. "Look at me" he demanded. He wanted to see those bright, beautiful eyes as he fucked her mouth.

As she met his gaze he realised he was perilously close. This encounter wasn't going to conclude like that, he determined, withdrawing from her and then lifting her to her feet. "So good, darlin" he praised her. She appreciated that at that moment she had him exactly where she wanted him. "Do it to me, JR. I want you."

She expected him to guide her to the sofa but he didn't. Instead he lay her back on his desk, lifted her dress and deftly removed her panties, pausing to inspect the stockings and suspenders she was also wearing. Even pregnant she's hot, he pondered, growling in appreciation. She looked up at him, eyes shining, her face slightly flushed with excitement. He entered her swiftly causing her to catch her breath before letting out a loud moan. "Fuck me, JR" she encouraged him as he found his rhythm.

Teasing her, he withdrew momentarily. She opened her legs wider for him tantalising him with the sight of her. He smiled and pushed himself back inside her. She moaned in response, grasping his buttocks to dictate the speed of his thrusts. "I'm going to make you come" he told her, grinning wickedly as he began to use his finger on her. She writhed in response. "Yes, JR, keep doing that" she groaned as he took her closer and closer to the edge.

Her breaths became more laboured and she dug her nails into him, signalling that she was about to come. Taking her cue, he increased the speed of his thrusts, willing her to climax before he too was sent over the edge. Moaning loudly at the waves of pleasure that were washing over her, he knew he had her undone. Seconds later he followed her lead, pumping in release inside her before withdrawing and finishing over her thighs. Sue Ellen giggled as he moaned and shuddered at the finish. By tomorrow, all would be sorted, she schemed. They would go out to dinner and then back to the condo for more fun. He wouldn't be able to resist her after that.

TBC

 **Sorry I haven't been updating much recently. Life is busy. Hope this was smutty enough for one of the kind reviewers! Thank you for reading and reviewing as ever : )**


	223. Chapter 224

"JR! This is a surprise!" Patricia greeted her son-in-law who remained politely on the doorstep until she beckoned him to come in. "Where's Sue Ellen?" "Oh, she's at home helping to make the final preparations for Christmas. You'll be joining us next week for the festivities?" JR replied attempting to appear casual. "In fact, I'm here on Sue Ellen's bidding. You see she and I think it would be a good idea for a discussion to take place with Kristin, about the pregnancy you know, to make sure that the arrangement that's been proposed suits her."

"Well I can tell you, JR, that Kristin is fully on board with the proposal" his mother-in-law responded somewhat too forcefully for JR's liking. "Then I can hear it from her, can't I? In private please, Patricia." JR's powerful glare told Patricia that there was no point in arguing. "Kristin?" she called moving to the foot of the stairs.

Seconds later the young girl trudged downstairs and entered the living room. "JR's here, to see you" her mother informed her. "I'll go and make us some coffee then."

As her mother excused herself Kristin sat down on the sofa facing JR who was occupying the armchair opposite. She gazed at her brother-in-law shyly and waited for him to speak. "You've got yourself into a bit of a mess haven't you, honey?" he began. Instantly Kristin started to cry. "Oh, I'm not here to upset you" he told her "I'm here to help. I just want to know more about what's happened and how you feel about it. Your sister and I are concerned and just want what's best for you."

Kristin brushed the tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath before responding. "I'm not a slut, JR. I loved him!" she protested. "The father?" JR asked, intrigued. He had assumed that the girl had only had a wayward fling but now matters appeared to be rather more complicated. Kristin nodded tearfully.

"Who is he?" "He's a student at the university. He has a part time job at a bakery that some of my friends and I go to at the weekend. He chatted me up and asked me out on a date and that's how it all started." "Good Lord! Did he know your age?" Kristin shook her head. "I told him I was eighteen, in my final year at high school. He never questioned it. He said after a while that he was serious about me, that he loved me. That's how he…." "Persuaded you?" JR shook his head in mock sympathy. A plan was starting to form in his mind.

"Does he know?" he asked. "Yes! I told him and he said he wanted nothing more to do with me or our child. He has refused to see me ever since. He's even given up the job just so I can't make contact with him." "Perhaps he's just scared, Kristin. Having a child is an enormous responsibility you know. How do you feel about him now?"

"You see, that's the thing. That's what my mother won't accept or even try to understand. I still love him and if he'd stand by me I'd want to keep my baby but my mother won't contemplate it. She says I have to hand the child over to Bobby and Pam as soon as he or she is born. JR, I'm not sure I want to do that though."

JR got up and approached her. Patting her hand gently and offering his handkerchief to her he reassured her. "Let's see what old JR can do about this, eh? Keep your mouth shut where your mama is concerned, at least for a little while. Now give me the boy's name, quickly, before she comes back in."

Patricia re-entered the room carrying a tray. "Is everything alright?" she asked suspiciously. "Oh, yes, Patricia, Kristin and I have had a little heart to heart talk, haven't we?" His sister-in-law nodded and smiled weakly. "And?" Patricia asked. "And I'm satisfied that the arrangement that we have come to is the best that can be devised in the circumstances" JR lied. "Patricia, I don't want you to think that I'm rejecting your marvellous hospitality but I must get off. I have a meeting in town that I need to get to. I'll see you both on the 23rd then."

Patricia showed her son-in-law to the door. Pausing before opening it for him, she spoke. "JR, Kristin and I are very grateful for what you and your family are doing for her. I know this is for the best." JR didn't respond other than to bid his mother-in-law farewell. He held a totally different view of the situation, notwithstanding Sue Ellen's efforts to bring him round to her way of thinking.

Now he had to use his best powers of persuasion to create an entirely different scenario for his in-laws. Stepping into the limo that had brought him from the airport he asked to use the telephone. "Harry? I want you to track somebody down for me. It won't be difficult. He's a student at Austin University." Harry listened and began jotting down the details that JR supplied to him. "I'll have him located by tomorrow morning, JR" he told him. "Good man. I have a problem with the fella that needs to be resolved as quickly as follows." "Anything you want me to do?" Harry enquired. "Not just yet, but you never know" JR responded before hanging up.

"Back to the airport, sir?" the driver asked as he began to pull away from Patricia's house. "Yes please, as fast as you can. I need to be home in time for dinner."

Three hours later JR was home. Lucy was in the living room playing with Ella. "Hello sweetheart" JR greeted his daughter, scooping her up in his arms for a kiss. "Say Lucy, where's Sue Ellen?" "She's settling John Ross down, JR" Lucy replied, handing her cousin a teddy bear. "I'll take Ella up now. Thank you, Lucy" JR told her. The young girl shrugged her shoulders, wondering why her uncle was being so pleasant to her all of a sudden.

Entering the nursery JR surveyed the scene. Sue Ellen was standing over her son's cot, speaking to him gently. "Good evening, this is a pretty picture" he told her, approaching her and kissing her on the cheek. Sue Ellen smiled as she took Ella from him to enable him to kiss John Ross goodnight. "Sue Ellen, let the nanny take over with Ella for a little while. I need to talk to you." Sue Ellen looked at him quizzically. "Really?" she asked. JR winked in reply. "It's been a long and busy day and I thought we might take a short rest before dinner, darlin."

"JR, why do you seem mightily pleased with yourself this evening?" Sue Ellen asked. "Oh, I just had a productive meeting with someone who has given me a lot to think about" he lied. By tomorrow he hoped to be back on the jet to Austin.

tbc


	224. Chapter 225

The passenger door opened right in front of the young man who was hurrying to his afternoon classes. He stopped and looked inside the limo. JR sat forward in his seat permitting the man to see him. "Michael Alton?" JR asked. "Yes sir" the young man answered nervously. Instinct told him what this was probably about.

When he had been seeing Kristin Shepard he had learnt a little about her family. He was surprised to hear that the girl's older sister had married into the infamous Ewing family. Kristin and her mother seemed so ordinary that it was difficult to comprehend that one of their number had done so well for herself. That said, though, Kristin was a very good looking girl with a well-developed body. If her sister was anything similar, then it was more than possible for her to have become an oil baron's trophy wife.

"Do you know who I am?" JR asked. "No sir" Michael lied. He had more than a suspicion that he was face to face with Kristin's brother-in-law. It wasn't as if he hadn't contemplated this scenario arising, but the longer that he went on with no contact from Kristin or her family the more confident he had grown that he had managed to extricate himself from a tricky situation, one that he never wanted his parents to learn about.

"Oh, I think you do. Get in, we're going for a short ride" JR told him. Michael looked down pointedly at the stack of books in his arms. "I have classes, sir. Could this not wait until another time?" JR smiled at him wickedly. "Sure son, it can wait but it wouldn't be in your interests to let it. You see I know you and I know your family. Your father wouldn't like to hear about what you've been getting up to recently. That is, without the package of support that I could offer."

"Alright then" Michael responded, getting into the vehicle, his stomach tightening in anxiety. "Drive on" JR commanded, having closed the door behind the young man. "What are you studying?" JR asked as the limo picked up speed, accelerating away from campus on the road into town. "Engineering, sir." "Is that a fact? My company has a whole engineering division. We are always on the look- out for talented graduates. However, we only recruit young men who have spotless characters, to protect the company image if you understand what I mean."

Michael sighed. "I take it this is about Kristin?" The sooner JR got to the point the better, he thought. JR nodded his head. "It sure is. Now you've got that little girl into a lot of trouble, trouble that you can't just walk away from, do you see?" "Mr Ewing, I have nothing. There is nothing I can offer Kristin. I'm sorry about what happened to her because I did really care for her but here I am, a student working two jobs with considerable debts to pay. I can't support a baby as well. The best thing is if Kristin has the baby and then gives it up for adoption, to a good couple who could offer it a decent home."

"It?" JR asked. "It- is a child, your child from your sordid, predatory liaison with my sixteen- year old sister-in-law, an innocent seduced by you and then swept aside. That's not how real Texan men behave!" "Sixteen? Sir, I swear I didn't know she was so young. She told me she was eighteen! As for being innocent I beg to differ. Kristin made a lot of the running" Michael protested.

"What difference does that make? You've had your way and now you think you can just leave her? Well I tell you what, son, things don't work that way, not when you're involved with my family." JR's tone was menacing. The young man sitting opposite him was now thoroughly unnerved. "What do you want, sir?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't going to be taken somewhere for his legs to be broken. He was aware of what men like JR Ewing were capable of.

"It's easy. I want you to make an honest woman of Kristin. She's a pretty little thing, you could do worse than to make her your wife." Michael shook his head. "How? I've just told you I can't provide for myself let alone her and a baby!" JR knew that this was just an excuse because the young man's heart just wasn't in it. It was time to make the next manoeuvre.

"Ah that's the simple part, Michael. You see, I have a lot of money and if it's just a matter of finances that can be resolved all too easily." Michael paused. He realised he was cornered. "What if I don't love her though? It wouldn't be fair to her or the baby, or me for that matter." There was the nub of it, JR thought. He knew he had to go hard on the young man but, deep down, he recognised that what he had done had been no different to the risks he had taken, before he had met Sue Ellen, when birth control had been the last thing on his mind when he was about to have his way with a beautiful young woman.

"Michael, you're young and inexperienced in life. Love isn't everything. Who Knows? You may grow to love Kristin in any event, especially after she has had your baby. She loves you, you know, and is prepared to forgive you for running out on her" JR told him, appearing to be sympathetic before going in for the kill.

"You see, what you need to understand is that married life with Kristin will be a million times less miserable than not. Please accept that I mean what I say. Marry the girl and your future is assured. You will have a career in engineering anywhere you want in this State, Ewing Oil even. However, if you refuse then I can guarantee two things. Nobody will employ you and anyone foolish enough to do so will soon realise that they have made one hell of a big mistake and get rid of you. Secondly, I intend to contact your parents. Your father's a well- respected pastor in your home-town isn't he? I could cause a big scandal there."

Michael shook his head. "Leave my parents out of this!" he told JR, shaking from a combination of fear and anger. "Well, how can I? If you won't do the decent thing then they may be able to persuade you. Think about it, bringing your pretty little fiancée to meet your folks, admitting, albeit with embarrassment, that she is in the "family way" and you must get married but then sweetening the news with the fact that the Ewing family support the marriage and are prepared to subsidise the three of you until you graduate. Son, I'm offering you the choice- a future or no future because by the time I'm done with you, if you won't agree, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I can assure you of that. Nobody thwarts a Ewing and gets away with it."

At that JR went into his pocket and produced a small red box. He opened it to reveal a modest yet tasteful engagement ring, characteristic of what a student might afford. "Go to her, tell her mother that you made a massive mistake and ask for Kristin's hand in marriage. Oh, and it would be wise to let her know that you have spoken to me, asking for advice and I have agreed to back you. You know it's the sensible thing to do."

The remainder of the journey back to campus was spent in silence. JR secretly rejoiced in Michael's state of turmoil whilst congratulating himself. He had sorted out the Kristin problem and denied Pamela Barnes the opportunity of an early adoption.

tbc


	225. Chapter 226

"I don't understand it, JR. How has this all come about?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by her husband's explanation. JR shrugged his shoulders. "Honey, I have the utmost respect for you but I just had a gut feeling that there was something not quite right about the arrangement for Kristin. So, I demanded a private discussion with her and, lo and behold, I was right. Your little sister wasn't one bit keen on having her baby adopted whether by Bobby and Pam or someone else."

Sue Ellen stared at her husband. Part of her was annoyed with him for interfering but she trusted his judgment so decided not to argue. "Think about it, Sue Ellen. How easy would it have been for you to give up one of our children at birth? It's inconceivable." "Well our situation is somewhat different, isn't it?" JR shook his head. "Nope. Kristin loves the father of her child and wants to be with him. Just because we are older and have money doesn't really make a difference in my opinion."

"And what about my mother? What did she have to say?" Sue Ellen asked, doubtful that Patricia would be in support of the new way forward. "She took it on the chin, quite well really. She has consented to the marriage which will take place very quietly just after Christmas" JR replied.

"And how did the proposal come about? My understanding was that the young man couldn't wait to run a mile? JR, why do I suspect that there is something that you're not telling me?" JR smiled. "I tracked your sister's fiancé down and had a little talk to him, about duty" he told her. "Have you blackmailed him? I don't want that for Kristin!" Sue Ellen exclaimed. She knew all too well what her husband was capable of once determined on a particular outcome.

"No, sugar! Let's say I offered him an inducement to do the decent thing. He soon saw sense. In any case, it happens up and down the country- a boy gets a girl pregnant out of wedlock and has to face up to his responsibilities. A lot of so-called shotgun weddings turn out to be very successful." "Hmmm…." Sue Ellen responded doubtfully, her thoughts whirling in her head.

"And the boy's family? What have they had to say?" she asked. "He's from a good, old-fashioned Christian family and his parents are supportive. Obviously, they were disappointed at first but they soon came round to the idea. This will be their first grandchild."

"Why did you go to all that trouble, JR? I mean, seeing Kristin and then tracking the father down?" she asked, still suspicious. JR never did anything unless it was somehow or other in his interests to do so. "Sweetheart, I'm going to level with you. Having Kristin here for a few months wouldn't have troubled me but it sure as hell would have been wearing for you. Then there's the risk that she wouldn't have gone through with the adoption at the end of it. That would have brought pandemonium to our household. I'm just glad I asked your sister the question and found a different solution to the problem, one that she's happiest with in the circumstances."

Sue Ellen sighed. "I feel foolish, JR. To think I relied on my mother for an accurate report of my sister's wishes. I never really learn where she's concerned, do I?" JR took her in his arms and kissed her on the lips. "That's why you need me, honey, to keep her at bay." Suddenly a dread thought occurred to Sue Ellen. "JR, what are we going to tell Bobby and Pam?" she asked.

"That it's all off, unfortunately. Look they can always go to an adoption agency for a baby. It's not the end of the world" JR replied phlegmatically. "Pam isn't going to take this well, JR. She's going to be devastated. When are we going to inform them?" "No time like the present. It's got to be done. It's Christmas next week and your mother and sister are due a visit, although plans may have to be changed now if Pam reacts as badly as you predict."

JR attempted to remain looking serious and concerned but it was a struggle. The thought of his mother-in-law's traditional visit having to be cancelled this year was delightful. That would leave his family able to enjoy the holiday without interruption or annoyance. It also meant that he would have his wife and children to himself for the fortnight that the offices were closed, he schemed.

"Will you tell them, or shall I?" Sue Ellen asked. "We will both tell them before dinner, all of the family in one go" he answered. "I'm not looking forward to it one bit, JR. However, as you say, it has to be done."

An hour later and the family were gathered in the living room for their usual pre-dinner cocktails. After they were all served their drinks JR settled himself down into his usual armchair, Sue Ellen perched on the arm next to him. JR cleared his throat. Sue Ellen looked down at the floor nervously. "Sue Ellen and I have some news" he began "about Kristin. There's been a development that you all need to know about. The plan for her to come here is off. You see she's going to be married to the father of her baby. The couple are keeping their child. Bobby, Pam, we're sorry if you got your hopes up but, at the end of the day, a child belongs with his or her natural parents wherever possible."

"I don't understand!" Pam cried. "This is your doing, JR! How could you? Sue Ellen, is it true?" Sue Ellen nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Pam. It is true. There's nothing anyone can do about it now. The die is cast." At that Pam slammed down her glass and flew upstairs in floods of tears. Bobby followed her worriedly. "JR?" Miss Ellie asked, suspicious about the sudden turn of events. "Mama, these things happen. You know this is the right outcome irrespective of the disappointment caused."

Miss Ellie sighed. JR had a point, she mused. "Happy holidays" Lucy observed sardonically as the four of them were called through to dinner. "Yes indeed, Lucy" Miss Ellie answered, sighing sadly at the sight of the two chairs that remained empty.

tbc


	226. Chapter 227

"We will see you in the new year. I hope the wedding plans go well" Sue Ellen told her mother and sister as she prepared to leave. She and the children had flown to Austin to exchange gifts ahead of the start of the traditional Christmas break, her relatives' visit to Southfork having been cancelled in deference to Pam's distress. "Happy Christmas dear" Patricia replied. "It will feel strange not being with you for the holidays. However, I suppose it's for the best."

Sue Ellen gave her mother an awkward hug. She knew that Patricia wouldn't really miss seeing her or her grandchildren for that matter. Her mother's disappointment was based on what she would be missing out on. Patricia always loved being waited on, especially at this time of year when Miss Ellie would go all out on festive food and drink for them all.

Sue Ellen looked at Kristin. She was so young to be getting married and then having a child, she mused. Did she honestly know how hard it would be? However, the date was set, there was a baby on the way and neither of those things could be reversed. The anxious expression on her sister's face prompted Kristin to speak. "Happy Christmas, Sue Ellen. I'm alright, you know, about all of it. JR did me a huge favour with whatever it was that he said to Michael." "Take care of yourself, Kristin" Sue Ellen replied diplomatically, giving her mother a meaningful look at the same time. Both women knew that JR had effectively strong-armed the young man into a proposal. True love this wasn't, at least from his perspective. However, the power wielded by JR was too great to enable Michael to say what he really felt. JR had him trapped and he knew it. He would just have to try to make the best of things, keep Kristin happy and be a decent father to their child.

Sue Ellen put Ella and John Ross in the limo before waving farewell to her mother and sister. The next time she would see them both would be on Kristin's wedding day, a quiet and discreet affair to which only a select few had been invited on both sides. As the vehicle pulled away Sue Ellen reflected on all that had happened in the last year. Jock's death still cast a huge shadow over the family but more recent problems had arisen including Pam's late miscarriage and now this with Kristin, she thought. Then she contemplated her situation. Pregnant for the third time in as many years. It hadn't been what she imagined when she walked down the aisle to become Mrs JR Ewing. However, her life could be a lot worse. She could be like Pamela, childless and desperate, or like Kristin, a teenage bride marrying a man who didn't love her and who had no money to boot.

JR, for all his faults, did love her and gave her everything she wanted and needed. They had two beautiful children and another on the way and, thus far, she had remained in good health. Why then did she have a sense of foreboding? Probably because so many negative things had happened in the recent past, she concluded. Surely it was now time for a break?

Back in Dallas JR was leaving the office to take lunch with the chairman of a small oil company who was looking to sell some of his fields. JR wanted those fields. He had worked out a respectable price for them, below the asking price but not so low that the man might be tempted to go elsewhere. "I'm going out now, Bob. Hold the fort while I'm gone" he told his brother, poking his head around Bobby's office door. "Sure thing, JR" Bobby replied. He was buried deep in paperwork concerning the refinery, a sandwich that his secretary had bought for him out open on his desk.

JR's lunch meeting had been arranged at a new restaurant that he had never been to before. He was pleased about the reservation because he was not keen to be seen at the usual haunts, preferring to keep his dealings with the smaller company confidential until the ink was dry on the paper, the contract signed, sealed and delivered.

Stepping out of his car and handing the keys to the parking valet he entered the restaurant and surveyed the dining room. The place was certainly smart and quite busy given the time of day, he thought, but there was no sight yet of the man he was there to meet. JR indicated to the hostess that he would take a seat at the bar and wait. He ordered a drink and contented himself by inspecting the menu.

Suddenly he heard a familiar yet unwelcome voice. "JR!" Cliff greeted him. "Merry Christmas!" JR turned around angrily. "I thought you'd been run out of town by now, Barnes. I understood that this place had standards" he told him.

"Oh, my fortune is on the up. Did my little sister not tell you? I'm engaged to be married. Let me introduce you. JR Ewing, this is my fiancée, Mandy Winger." JR looked at the young woman on Cliff's arm. He was immediately taken aback by the brilliance of her dark beauty. The feelings he had when he first met Sue Ellen came flooding back unexpectedly and uncontrollably.

Mandy smiled at JR confidently and held out her hand to him. "Hello, Mr Ewing. Cliff's told me a lot about you, none of it good though. I wondered when we would at last get to meet." JR took her hand and shook it firmly. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Winger. I wouldn't believe a word that he's told you though. Cliff Barnes can't lie straight in bed." Letting go of her hand JR felt floored. As he watched the couple follow the hostess to their table he also felt jealous. How could that loser Barnes have attracted such a stunning beauty he wondered continuing to stare at Mandy intently. As she took her seat she made eye contact with him once more and flashed another gorgeous smile his way. This time JR smiled back. He was hooked and she knew it.

tbc


	227. Chapter 228

"Are you alright, JR?" Sue Ellen asked as she continued with her gift wrapping in the den. "Hmm, honey?" he responded, distracted. "I asked you to put the finished ones under the tree for me. You've been on a different planet all evening" she rebuked him, irritated by his lack of interest. "It's Christmas Eve tomorrow and there's still lots to do. I need your help now that you have closed the office" she told him, fastening an elegant bow around a gift intended for her mother-in-law.

JR mumbled an apology, picked the presents up and took them into the living room. He stood staring at the Christmas tree. Why was he feeling this way, he wondered? He saw beautiful women all the time, hell he was married to one, but there was something about Cliff's fiancée that had affected him, had shaken his equilibrium in the same way as his wife had when he first set eyes on her. Stop thinking about her, he told himself. Stop recalling that smile she had flashed at him in the restaurant. Did she want him the way he wanted her? She had certainly given out the right signals if she did. Perhaps she was one of those women who just rejoiced in playing men, revelling in the attention that it brought, delighting in being lusted after.

"What are you doing now?" Sue Ellen asked, jolting him from his thoughts in a manner that annoyed him. "I, er, I was just looking. There are a lot of gifts under there now, aren't there? How much do you reckon we've spent this year?" Sue Ellen sighed. "A lot, but it isn't as though we can't afford it. JR, if I want to spoil our children and Lucy at Christmas then I will do."

As he followed her back into the den he wondered what Cliff and Mandy would be doing that evening. He cringed at the thought of them cosied up on the sofa in front of the fire, kissing and cuddling until it was time for bed. How could that loser have attracted such an amazing woman? He asked himself. He looked at his wife. By comparison she looked tired and, for once, a little frumpy, the third trimester of her pregnancy having started. Then he felt guilty. She is beautiful, he told himself, and desirable. There would be many men who would gladly take his place. Cliff had been one of them, at least for a time, because he sure seemed to have moved on from that period in his life these days.

Pam entered the room. "Can I do anything?" she asked Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen nodded. "Thank you, Pam. I'm sure you will be more help than JR has been so far." JR was irritated by his wife's comment and, this time, it showed by the harrumph he let out. "When were you going to let us know that your brother intends to be married, Pamela?" he asked. Sue Ellen turned around to face him, surprised.

"I didn't think any of you would be interested, JR" Pam replied tersely. "I mean, it's not like any of you care about what Cliff gets up to." "Do you approve of the woman?" JR asked. Pam shook her head. "It's all been very rushed. They hardly knew each other before Cliff proposed. She is very good looking but I sense that there's an edge to her, that she's always looking for a better opportunity to have her needs met and she doesn't mind the cost to others" Pam answered. "Interesting" Sue Ellen commented. She trusted her sister-in-law's judgment innately. "How did they meet?" she asked, passing a cute teddy to Pam to wrap.

"That's a whole other story. She's a model and she was working at a charity event that Cliff was invited to. He doesn't get many invitations these days so he went. He told me he got disastrously drunk and woke up at his condo the following morning with Mandy there. They have been an item ever since."

"You're very quiet all of a sudden, JR" Sue Ellen told him. True to form he had been processing and then evaluating the information that his sister-in-law was imparting. "Well then, I'm sure that they truly deserve one another" he eventually replied. "When's the big day?" Pam shook her head. "Oh, I don't know, JR. I hope it's not too soon, though. I reckon Cliff needs to be sure, about her, first."

So, they are not totally sure of each other yet? JR schemed. That afforded him time- to work on Mandy and, in the process, gain revenge upon Cliff Barnes. He turned his attention once more to Sue Ellen and Pam who remained busy with their work.

Suddenly Sue Ellen caught his eye. She smiled warmly. "I'm sorry for being grumpy, JR. Put it down to tiredness and hormones" she explained. JR felt instantly bad. His wife was gorgeous, her hair and eyes shining in the light of the fire, her baby bump now all too evident, the product of how they had felt about each other after the fight at the Oil Barons' Ball. Resist temptation, he convinced himself. In any case Mandy Winger might have bought into all that Cliff had no doubt told her, her smile at him intended to be sarcastic not seductive.

"Think nothing of it, honey. I'm going to go upstairs to wrap what I got for you. I hope you like it" he informed her, pausing to kiss her cheek lightly. "I always like what you give me" she responded naughtily. She didn't want any strife with the man she loved, especially not at this time of the year.

As he climbed the stairs, a roll of pretty gift wrap in hand, he was tempted. I could just call Harry now and ask him to find out more about her, he thought. If there was anything interesting to know it would stand him in good stead if that loser Barnes tried anything, he told himself. That's all, nothing else. He knew he was lying to himself though. That wasn't the purpose. Entering the bedroom, he walked immediately to the phone. "Harry? I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Tbc

 **I know I am taking a massive risk here! Like one of my kind reviewers I totally hated the Mandy storyline. I hope you can stick with this- there is a purpose. Thank you as usual for reading and reviewing and Happy Easter : )**


	228. Chapter 229

JR and the rest of the family watched as Ella clumsily ripped her gifts open, squealing in delight at the contents. Sue Ellen had John Ross on her knee, helping the little boy to open his presents, kissing his chubby cheek softly as he gurgled in excitement. Lucy was already done with her gifts and, mightily pleased with the haul, she was now watching her young cousins.

"We went a little over the top this year" Sue Ellen commented as Teresa began clearing the discarded paper littered all over the floor away. "Well it's nice to see the children happy" Miss Ellie responded. It was her first Christmas without Jock and, deep down, she felt somewhat depressed. However, for the sake of her grandchildren she had masked her sadness and was putting a brave face on matters.

Pam looked at her niece and nephew wistfully, every now and then commenting encouragingly on the toys that they had received. Ella stood up and took a doll that she was particularly pleased with to her aunt. "She's a very pretty dolly, Ella. Just like you!" Pam told her. The tone of her voice in doing so betrayed to the adults the emotions that the young woman was experiencing right then. She was trying her hardest to enjoy the day but the disappointment of losing her baby was felt ever more keenly than usual. Bobby patted her hand reassuringly and smiled at the little girl. "What is she called?" he asked. "Dolly" Ella told him giving him a look as if he were being foolish. Sue Ellen laughed. "That's you told, uncle Bobby!" she joked.

JR looked at his wife. She was wearing a simple, red shift dress and the rope of pearls that he had given her. The necklace was set off by a large, diamond clasp which sparkled brightly in the light. Sue Ellen had been thrilled with it. "It must have cost you a fortune!" she told him after opening the box and fingering the content, before placing it over her head. "You're worth it, sugar" he told her, more than a tinge of guilt making his stomach churn, an icy grip taking over his heart at the extent of his deceit.

He was playing a dangerous game that much he appreciated. The previous day, Christmas Eve, when he should have been with his family, he had ventured into Dallas on the pretext of a last- minute errand to meet Harry. "Did you find her?" he had asked. Harry nodded his head. "Yes, JR. It wasn't difficult. Here are the details of the model agency whose books she is on and the address of her condo. However, I believe she spends most of her time at Barnes's place these days."

"Is it legitimate? The engagement I mean?" JR asked, studying the information laid out on the paper. Harry nodded again. "Appears to be. He's the only proper relationship she's had since she came to town. Mind you, she hasn't been here long, twelve months maximum." "Why did she come here?" Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Why does any beautiful girl leave her home town to come to Dallas? To meet and marry a rich fella, I reckon, although she hasn't exactly been successful on that score, has she?" Harry was curious about JR's interest in the young woman. Was it just because she was betrothed to his enemy, a man he loathed? Or was there more to it? This was the first time since his marriage to Sue Ellen that JR had sent Harry on one of these missions. It used to be a common occurrence but, since settling down into married life, Harry had become convinced that JR had left his womanising ways behind.

However, discretion and the desire to maintain his valuable little side-line prevented the detective from enquiring further. What JR Ewing got up to was nobody's business but his, he determined. If he wanted to risk his marriage to the lovely Sue Ellen that was his decision.

"When is she next due to be at work?" JR asked. "She has a job on New Year's Eve, JR. It's a fashion show at the Fairmont Hotel." JR's heart pounded at the thought of seeing her again. He could wangle an invitation easily, he schemed. Nobody would give a second thought to him just gate-crashing the event if it came to that. "Thanks, Harry" he told the detective, handing him the customary envelope of cash in payment. "Thank you, JR. Have a good Christmas now." "Oh, I will, I will."

As his thoughts returned to the present JR felt slightly sick. Here he was sitting, watching his stunning young wife entertaining their children, her body growing another child inside her, but all he could think about was Mandy. Was it because Cliff had her that he wanted her so much, he wondered. If she had just been some other, ordinary jobbing model would he have felt this way? Was he prepared to risk his marriage, his whole future for an encounter with the woman?

As ever conceit got the better of him. Of course, he could seduce Mandy and get away with it, he told himself. He was JR Ewing. There was pretty much nothing that he couldn't do if he set his mind to it. He would have an enjoyable fling and then discard her in favour of the woman he had made his wife. That's all it would be- sex. Sue Ellen wouldn't know the first thing about it and what she didn't know couldn't harm her, he convinced himself. When she'd had the baby, he would revert to the doting husband once more, steeped in domesticity. Until then he wanted a little bit of fun and who better to have it with than Cliff Barnes' girlfriend?

"JR?" Sue Ellen asked, jolting him from his lust- filled thoughts. "Sue Ellen?" "You seem distracted. Look, it's Christmas Day. You are entitled to at least one day off from the business, you know." "Yes of course, honey. I'm sorry. Come on, I think dinner's ready. I'm starving."

tbc


	229. Chapter 230

"Miss Winger?" JR had waited all afternoon for his opportunity. Now the fashion show was wrapping up and she was alone. "Mr Ewing?" she replied in mock surprise. She had known from their last encounter that this was bound to happen. "Where's your fiancé?" JR asked, although he already knew the answer. "Oh, Cliff doesn't much care for these events" she told him. "He's taking me out dancing later though." JR shook his head and laughed. "That's not Cliff's usual style" he told her. "Well perhaps he's a changed man since he met me!"

"I just thought I'd say hello and pay my compliments. You looked very good up on the catwalk today." Mandy raised her eyebrow flirtatiously. "Where is Sue Ellen? Mrs Ewing I mean?" "How do you know my wife's name?" JR asked, suddenly suspicious of the young woman. "Everyone in Dallas knows your wife's name!" she responded. "Your boyfriend hasn't been talking about her, has he?" Mandy shook her head and flashed him a warm smile. "No, he hasn't but Pam mentions her occasionally. I understand she's expecting again. Congratulations."

"Would you like to come for a quick drink with me?" JR asked. "I have to get home fairly soon. My mother always throws a party on New Year's Eve. Can't be late for that." He's definitely interested Mandy thought. Better to play hard to get in the circumstances, she schemed. "Why are you offering me a drink? My fiancé hates you and I believe the feeling is mutual." "That may be so but I don't hate you, Mandy, I can call you that, can't I?" Mandy nodded. "I'm sorry but I can't. I'm running late for my date tonight already. Maybe another time, JR?"

JR looked to the floor, disappointed. "I'm not sure the chance will arise again, Mandy. Anyway, it was sure nice to see you again. Happy new year." Mandy moved closer to him making him shiver with excitement. "Same to you" she answered, holding her hand out to him. He shook it firmly noting her smile as he did so. Her touch was pure electricity just as he had predicted when he fantasised about her.

She watched as he took his leave, noting that he looked back at her more than once, smiling almost shyly, like a smitten teenager.

Mandy Winger had her sights set on JR Ewing for months. She had arrived in Dallas with nothing other than her good looks and innate ability to attract men. A modelling contract had eventually been offered to her after a number of deadbeat jobs in bars and restaurants across the city. That's where she had first encountered him, serving cocktails to him and other business associates in a lounge that JR liked to go to because it was off the beaten track and, therefore, discreet when the occasion warranted it.

She often served rich men but nobody like JR Ewing. JR was different. He had a confidence, a swagger that only men assured of their personal success possessed. He wasn't that good looking but that hardly mattered because his charisma more than compensated for his looks. There was just something about him that made him stand out from the other businessmen who frequented the bar. It was indescribable, unique and addictive.

He hadn't really noticed her though. To him, she was just another pretty cocktail waitress, employed to serve, to do his bidding. There was just nothing that made her stand out to him. She wondered what it would be like to be with him, her thoughts turning to his wife. Many hours were subsequently spent in the local library going through the society pages of archived local newspapers looking for Mrs Sue Ellen Ewing. Mandy studied the way she dressed and wore her hair and make-up carefully and then agonised over the photographs that depicted the couple, together, looking relaxed and happy in each other's company.

Even after she started modelling JR never noticed her. He had been to numerous events that she had worked at and never made a move. Blondes seemed to take more of his fancy, not that JR took that anywhere. He would look but politely decline, referring to his marital status, if a woman approached him. Sometimes he would be with her, Sue Ellen, adorning his arm with her elegance and good looks, a symbol of just how well he was doing in life. Mandy almost hated her even though she didn't know the first thing about her. What she did know was that the couple had a certain chemistry about them, they suited each other and all their interactions seemed natural, as if meant to be.

Meeting Cliff Barnes had presented a major opportunity for Mandy to get closer to the Ewing inner circle. He had fallen for her charms easily, sucked in by her beauty and her obvious abilities in the bedroom. Gaining a proposal from him had come as a surprise though. She had never expected it, not from a man like Cliff who, historically, had enjoyed the freedom to see and sleep with numerous young women without ever offering them commitment.

Becoming his fiancée had been tactical. That way, she would have to be introduced to his sister. Knowing Pam gave her the chance to discover more about JR, his likes and dislikes, his movements and place in the family. She had to be careful though. Many a time she had feigned disinterest when the subject of the Ewings cropped up in conversation between her fiancé and his sister, suggesting that Cliff should let his hatred go, a proposition that Pam had strongly agreed with.

Mandy knew it was only a matter of time before JR saw her out with Cliff, before their relationship and engagement was made known to him. That represented the best chance of her coming to JR's attention. She also knew that the intense rivalry that existed between the two men had the capability to draw JR in, to make him want what Cliff had, namely her. She was on the brink of success but needed to bide her time. That's why she was playing hard to get. She wasn't going to be a one-night stand. No, she would be the next Mrs JR Ewing.

Tbc

 **Thank you for all the reviews. I do enjoy reading them and I am taking note of what you have been saying about the direction of the story :)**


	230. Chapter 231

As JR entered the hallway of Mandy's condominium block he felt nervous. Taking a deep breath, heart pounding, mouth dry in anticipation, he knocked quietly on her door. For several weeks now he had been pursuing the young woman behind his wife's back. Mandy had played the game to date perfectly, at times keen to show him she was attracted to him by the overt nature of her flirting with him, at others by pretending to be unsure that their liaisons were a good idea. The ambiguity of her conduct towards him had been addictive. Mandy knew it, deep down JR knew it but he lacked the willpower to resist. Today's invitation to Mandy's home was intended to seal the deal between them, to start the affair.

JR waited for several seconds before the door slowly opened. "Come in, JR" Mandy told him. As he entered, closing the door quickly behind him, he took her in. She was wearing a flimsy black negligee which was sexy albeit somewhat trashy. Underneath he glimpsed a lacy, black lingerie set but this was nothing like the sets he was accustomed to seeing Sue Ellen wear. His wife had much classier and more expensive taste than Mandy. Her lingerie was sexy but in a subtle, more understated way- not like this, not like the "pin up" girl who was standing there before him.

"Can I fix you a drink?" she asked. JR took off his Stetson and placed it on a side table. "Yes please. I'm going to need it." Mandy raised an eyebrow. Surely the great JR Ewing wasn't nervous? As she poured the liquor into a glass she smiled warmly at him. JR smiled back but his smile betrayed a more pained expression. He is nervous! She thought as she handed him the glass. Mandy beckoned him to take a seat next to her on the sofa. She had once, briefly, permitted him to kiss her on the lips. Today she wanted him to kiss her passionately, lustfully, as if she were the only woman he ever wanted and then sweep her up in his arms and take her to bed.

JR shook his head and gulped his drink down all in one go. Then he cleared his throat. Mandy felt puzzled. After all this time, she was going to give him what he wanted but now he appeared reluctant, embarrassed even, she thought as she waited for him to speak. "JR?" she asked eventually, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Mandy, I came because it was the only polite thing to do, to break this, whatever it has been, off with you" he began. "I don't understand! Last week you told me you were longing for this afternoon, longing for me!" Mandy exclaimed, shocked by the development. "I know and at the time I believed it. Hell, I even believed it early this morning as I got ready for work. However, I've changed my mind. Mandy, I can't see you anymore."

She wasn't going to give up though. She dropped the negligee revealing what lay beneath to him. JR gasped before looking pointedly at the floor. "Mandy, please. Don't demean yourself like this. You deserve better" he told her, causing her to stoop tearfully to pick the garment up and put it back on. "JR!" she wailed, almost stamping her foot as she did so. This wasn't playing out the way that she had envisaged.

"I should explain" he informed her. "This morning, just as I was about to leave the house, Sue Ellen took hold of my hand and placed it on her abdomen so that I could feel our baby kick and, at that moment, the madness of my actions recently became all too evident. As I felt my child move inside his or her mother I just knew that I couldn't go through with this. I didn't want to because I love Sue Ellen and I love my children. I'm sorry but that's the truth and I realise that now."

Mandy shook her head. "If you love them so much then why have you been seeing me?" she asked angrily. JR sighed. "I don't know. I've asked myself the same question- arrogance, vanity, lust, perhaps a combination of all three" he answered sadly. "Or is it just because I'm with Cliff? Is that it?" Mandy demanded tearfully. "Is that all this was? Is that all I meant to you, a chance to get one over on Cliff Barnes yet again?"

JR nodded. "It did get to me, the fact that you were engaged to that loser, but you do know that this, us, were never going anywhere, didn't you?" "So, it was just going to be sex, was it?" Mandy asked. "No question of us having a future together?" JR sighed again but this time with a note of irritation about him. "How could you have ever believed that I would leave Sue Ellen and my children for you, Mandy?" he asked incredulously. "That was never going to happen."

"You're a user, JR! Cliff was right all along about you" Mandy shouted. "What if I were to tell your precious wife all about you sneaking around with me? What would she say then?" "You'd be too late, sugar, because I intend to confess to my wife and beg for forgiveness as soon as I get home this evening" JR lied, having no intention of doing so but calculating that calling Mandy's bluff would represent the most effective response.

"What if she leaves you? Don't think you can come running to me then, JR" Mandy replied truculently. "I won't because, if she does, I intend to use all my energy to win her back. I'm sorry it had to end like this, honey. You're a beautiful woman but then so is Sue Ellen. Ordinarily I would advise you to forget that this ever happened and stick with your boyfriend but, in this case, I recommend you ditch Barnes and find somebody much better, somebody who can keep you in the manner that I imagine you'd very much like to get accustomed to. Goodbye Mandy. Good luck."

JR replaced his hat and left. It was over. How could he ever have been so insane as to place his marriage, his entire future at stake in this way, he asked himself as he got into his car and accelerated away. In his haste to leave the scene, once and for all, he failed to notice somebody watching him.

TBC

 **Sorry for the lack of updates in the last week. I have been away with work. Thanks for all the reviews and ideas : )**


	231. Chapter 232

JR walked through the door clutching a large bouquet of yellow roses in one hand and his briefcase in the other. "Where's Mrs Ewing?" he asked Raoul. "Upstairs in the nursery sir" the servant replied. JR went up the stairs excitedly, two at a time and entered his children's room. There he encountered Sue Ellen who was sitting on the floor playing with John Ross and Ella. She looked up and smiled widely. "Hello" she greeted him. "You're back early. Is everything alright?" JR produced the flowers from behind his back. "I finished early on purpose, sugar. I wanted to find out how you got on at your ante-natal appointment." Sue Ellen held her hand up to her husband for assistance in getting to her feet.

"These are for you" he told her as he helped her up. "Thank you!" she replied. "Well?" he asked. "Everything is just fine" she answered, taking the bouquet from him and inspecting the blooms. "It was a pity that you couldn't make it but the business won't run itself, will it?" JR suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Had he not agreed to meet Mandy he would have been by his wife's side at the clinic listening first-hand to the progress that she and his unborn child were making. He quickly abandoned the thought, relieved that he had done the right thing and ended the dalliance with the young woman before disaster could strike.

"Give me a kiss" he demanded. Sue Ellen pecked him on the lips, conscious of the presence of the children. "I'll give these to Teresa to put in a vase" she informed him. "Watch these two will you please?" As she left the room JR took off his jacket, loosened his tie and sat down next to his son and daughter. "What are you doing, Ella?" he asked. Ella passed him her dolly. "Baby" she told him. "Yes, like the little baby that mama will be having soon" he told her. Jealous of the attention that his sister was getting John Ross thrust part of a coloured stacking toy into his daddy's hand which was swiftly handed back to him to put in the correct place. "Good boy, John Ross. Show daddy how to do it" JR encouraged him.

Sue Ellen returned to the doorway of the nursery and quietly watched her husband and children. It made her heart swell to see JR engaging his children in play. She knew it wasn't exactly his forte but he was certainly making an effort, she thought, smiling as she observed him attempting to meet the competing demands of his son and daughter evenly and without preference. He looked up and met her gaze. "Why don't you go and have a lie down before dinner, honey?" he asked her. "I can manage here." Sue Ellen thanked him before taking him up on the offer. She was becoming increasingly tired these days, a sign of her advancing pregnancy that her doctor had advised her to expect as she grew closer to her due date.

Engrossed in play with the children JR did not see Pam standing in the doorway to the nursery at first. It was Ella who first alerted him to her presence with an excited squeal at the sight of her aunt. "Where's Sue Ellen?" Pam asked him coldly. "She's having a rest" JR told her. "Good, because there's something that I need to discuss with you, in private" Pam responded gesticulating that what she had to say could not be said in the presence of her niece and nephew. JR eyed his sister-in-law up suspiciously. There was a determination in the young woman's expression that slightly unnerved him internally, not that he let that show. "Now Pamela?" he asked coolly, playing for time. "Right now, JR" she demanded. "I will fetch the nanny to take over from you."

Five minutes later they were ensconced in the den. "JR, there's something I have to ask you and I want a truthful answer" Pam began. JR folded his arms defensively but made no reply. Instead he stared at his sister-in-law, his mind racing. Surely Mandy hadn't said anything to Pam or, God forbid, Cliff?

"Why were you coming out of Mandy Winger's condo earlier today?" Pam asked. JR shook his head. "Not me, Pamela" he lied. "There must be some sort of mistake." Pam shook her head. "So, my eyes deceived me, did they? JR, I saw you!" she countered. "What were you doing there, Pamela?" JR asked through gritted teeth, realising that he had been cornered.

"For some weeks now I've had a feeling that something wasn't quite right about Cliff's fiancée so, today, I decided to pay her an unannounced visit and what do I find when I get there? You, slinking away. You've been seeing each other, haven't you?" she accused him. "Now it all makes sense. That's why you were so interested in how long they had been together and what I thought about her. You're cheating on Sue Ellen! JR, I knew you were bad but this is downright despicable!" Pam blazed.

"Now then, hold your horses, sugar. Mandy and I do know each other but nothing happened. I have not been unfaithful to Sue Ellen and that's the truth" JR replied. "So, what were you doing there? Drinking tea? Discussing the oil business?" Pam asked sarcastically.

"Pamela I'm running out of patience with you. Cut to the chase. What do you intend to do?" JR asked. "I'm going to tell your wife!" Pam exclaimed, exasperated with him. "No, you're not" JR responded, his tone now menacing. Pam shook her head. "How do you propose to stop me? Sue Ellen has the right to know that you're a liar and an adulterer!"

JR approached Pam, backing her into a corner of the room. His expression and physical presence made her suddenly feel nervous, all her instincts telling her not to underestimate him. "Are you jealous, Pam?" he asked, breathing heavily down her neck. "Is that what it is? Do you wish that it was you that I was interested in?"

Pam pushed him forcefully to the chest. "You're disgusting, JR!" she told him. JR grabbed her by the wrist. "Alright then, honey, let's go upstairs now and wake Sue Ellen and you can tell her, tell her that I've been playing around behind her back, devastate her and destroy our family. That's what you want isn't it? Go ahead, Pam, ignore the consequences. You think you have it all worked out. You know nothing. I repeat, I have not slept with that woman. My head was turned momentarily, I'll give you that, but today I told Mandy I could never see her again. Ask her if you don't believe me."

Pam struggled to free herself from his grasp but he was too strong for her. As he marched her towards the door it suddenly opened. "What's going on?" Bobby asked.

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	232. Chapter 233

JR released his grip on Pamela. For several seconds there was silence between the three of them as Bobby tried to assess the situation and the other two attempted to process their thoughts into an appropriate explanation. "Well?" Bobby eventually asked. "You're back early, Bob" JR responded, stalling for time. "It appears to be a good thing that I am" his brother told him tersely. "Pam? I asked you a question. What's been going on here?"

JR stared at his sister-in-law intently. Would she really do it? Would she tell Bobby what she had discovered? His thoughts then turned to the use that his brother might put to the information. What better way for Bobby to cause him and Sue Ellen to become estranged and then move in on her himself, he worried. "Go on, Pamela, tell your husband what we were in dispute about" JR urged, hoping that Pam would have second thoughts about the wisdom of a disclosure.

Pam shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably, suddenly unsure of herself. If JR was right and nothing had in fact happened between him and Mandy what would she be doing by informing Bobby and then Sue Ellen? What good would be done other than for her sister-in-law to know that her husband had a roving eye and had briefly contemplated betraying her? How would that affect the young woman in her current condition? Then there were the children to think of. Why should they suffer as a result of a fractured marriage between their parents? Pam was utterly conflicted.

"We had a row about my brother, Bobby" Pam responded eventually, quickly constructing in her mind the tissue of lies that she was about to tell. JR smiled slyly, relieved that she had chosen a different route to the one that he feared she was about to go down. "Cliff? Not again, JR" Bobby sighed. "What now?" "The usual topics- your brother's a loser, your daddy's a drunk. I reacted badly though when our childlessness was thrown into the mix."

Pam knew what she was doing. She wanted to make JR suffer, to have something on him that she could threaten to use whenever he crossed her, whenever he was cruel to her or inattentive to Sue Ellen. She had JR over a barrel for the first time in her life as a member of the family and it felt good.

Bobby reacted in the fashion that Pam had imagined. Grasping JR by his shirt he pulled his brother in closely to him, face to face. "When are you going to leave my wife alone, JR?" he growled. JR tried to free himself from his brother's grasp but was unable to. "Come on, Bob. You know how I feel about anybody who goes by the name Barnes. Pamela should be used to it by now. Your wife is way too sensitive" he replied, hoping that Bobby wouldn't hit him.

"Say sorry, JR" Bobby told him "or feel my fists." Pam smirked, hoping that her brother-in-law was going to receive the pasting he deserved. JR appeared resistant at first, calculating that a premature apology might appear suspicious. "I mean it!" Bobby exclaimed, tightening his grasp.

"Alright then, Pamela, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said" JR eventually replied, shrugging himself free as Bobby loosened his grip. "I mean at least you had the sense to get out of your family of origin and marry into a proper one" he jibed, unable to resist having the last word even in these circumstances. Bobby charged towards him and delivered a sharp right hook to JR's jaw causing him to clatter to the floor.

Bobby was about to go again. "Get up you weasel!" he shouted. This time, though, Pam held out her arm to prevent him. "Leave it now, Bobby. He's not worth it, not worth all the upset that would be caused to the rest of the family." She stared pointedly at JR as she spoke. The reality was that she couldn't risk the hurt that would undoubtedly be caused to Sue Ellen by revealing the truth of JR's tawdry encounters with Mandy. If it was over now, so be it, she mused. As JR got to his feet she spoke once more. "That's it now, JR. There's not going to be any more nonsense like this, is there?" she warned him. "You have your family to think of, don't you? If I were you I'd concentrate on Sue Ellen and your children rather than me and my family" she finished, staring at him pointedly.

JR merely nodded. He had the message. Much to his chagrin, his sister-in-law was now in possession of a big secret where he was concerned, something that could ruin his marriage and wreck his family. Much as he disliked it he was now in debt to Pam for averting what would inevitably have been disaster where his wife was concerned because there was no doubt about it, if Sue Ellen found out he had been seeing Mandy, she would leave, taking their children with her. That was something he could never risk happening.

"It's time to get ready for dinner" Bobby announced. "You'll need to do something about that swollen jaw, JR, that is if you want to avoid having to explain to the others." Bobby took Pam's hand and led her out of the den, leaving JR alone, nursing his face, irritated by the situation he now found himself in.

As they climbed the stairs Bobby began to recount mentally what had just happened between the three of them. Suddenly, he felt troubled, suspicious. "Honey? Is what you told me about you and JR all of it? The truth I mean?" he asked, studying Pam's expression closely. "Yes, Bobby" she answered but almost too emphatically for his liking. "Why am I left thinking you are keeping something back, sweetie?" he asked, opening their bedroom door. "Why did JR have hold of you by the wrist?" he demanded. JR and Pam had had some spectacular rows in the past but they had never descended into anything physical, he pondered.

"Because he's a pig! Because he's JR, a bully through and through" Pam lied, feeling bad about the extent of her deceit of her husband. Bobby shook his head. "No, Pam, there's something that you and JR haven't told me" he demanded. "And I reckon it's something way more serious than the usual back-biting he subjects you to. Pam, you're my wife and I demand to know. What is it?"

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	233. Chapter 234

"I'm not hiding anything, Bobby, I promise" Pam lied. "I know I'm overly sensitive about the fact that we can't have a baby of our own and JR exploits it. I shouldn't let him rile me in the way he does." Bobby looked at her doubtfully. "Why was he marching you towards the door then?" he asked. "I said I was going to tell you if he didn't leave me alone. I guess he was calling my bluff."

Pam looked down at the floor as she responded, a tell-tale sign that she was lying to Bobby. Pam was rarely untruthful but, when she was, she was one very bad liar, he calculated. "I'm sorry honey but I don't believe you. There's more to it and, as your husband, I have a right to know."

Pam shook her head. "It's not important, Bobby, you just have to trust me on this one." She began to unbutton her shirt, hoping that the sight of her undressing might divert his attention. She was wrong. Watching her taking her clothes off, Bobby's thoughts raced. Was there something going on between the pair of them, he wondered anxiously. Had their hatred for each other converted into something else? Or, in keeping with his vengeful nature, was JR using Pam just to get back at him for wanting Sue Ellen?

"What's going on between the two of you, Pam?" Bobby demanded angrily and forcefully. "A married couple should have no secrets. This isn't right. I want to know what it was that you and my brother were doing when I walked into the den!"

"There's nothing going on between JR and me" Pam replied, exasperated. "How could you even begin to think that? I hate him and the feeling's mutual!" Bobby folded his arms and stared at her. "Well then tell me, Pam, what happened just now?"

Pam sighed sadly. "I'm not prepared to say. It would cause too much trouble. You just have to trust me on this, Bobby." Bobby shook his head. "Too much trouble for whom? You?" "No" Pam responded. "This doesn't concern me, at least not directly."

She immediately regretted the comment, mentally kicking herself for giving Bobby an opening. "Well then who does it concern? Is it JR? What has he been up to?" Pam stepped into the dress that she had chosen for dinner, turned her back on her husband and gestured for him to help her with the zipper. "We're going to be late" she told him, hoping to buy herself time to work out what she might say next, to throw Bobby off the scent.

"We have ten minutes yet" Bobby stated as he fastened her dress, moving her hair gently out of the way to avoid it becoming trapped. Instinctively he kissed the nape of her neck causing her to shiver. He hadn't touched her much since the miscarriage but, when he did, he still had a powerful effect on her, awakening the feelings she had for him when they first met, when she couldn't get enough of him, when she longed for him to be with her, to make love to her, whenever they were apart.

Sensing her response to his touch, Bobby turned her to face him and kissed her again, this time on the lips. "I want to share any worries that you might have, honey. I know what my brother's like. I want to be able to support you, like a decent husband should" he coaxed her as they unlocked lips.

Pam sighed. Bobby was right. He was her husband and keeping secrets from each other was only going to lead to an unhealthy state of affairs between them. Bobby was loyal and trustworthy, she thought, he would keep this from the rest of the family. In any case, him knowing might serve as a more effective deterrent from any future bad behaviour on his brother's part and ensure Sue Ellen's continued happiness.

"Bobby, if I tell you it can go no further. Promise me, please" she began. "You have my word" he answered solemnly, taking her hand in his and guiding her to sit down on the bed. "I discovered JR leaving Mandy's apartment building today. They have been seeing each other." Bobby gasped incredulously. "Cliff's Mandy?" he asked, shocked. He had only met the young woman on the one occasion preferring to keep his distance from his brother-in-law against whom he still bore a grudge.

Pam nodded her head. "How did this happen? Who introduced them?" Bobby asked. Pam shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. JR swears that he hasn't done anything with her and that he only went today to tell her he mustn't ever see her again. I contemplated informing Sue Ellen, that's when he took hold of my arm, calling my bluff if you will, but then concluded that it would just cause too much damage to her, especially in her current condition."

"So, you're going to keep one hell of a secret for him then? What about your brother? I know I have no time for him but I do respect the fact that you care for him. What would he make of all of this?" Pam sighed sadly. "I've been trying to figure that one out. Cliff has a right to know what he'd be getting into if he marries that woman but I just know, deep down, he'd go running straight to Sue Ellen for revenge. He wouldn't keep this to himself."

"What a mess" Bobby commented hurrying now to change his shirt and tie. "You can't let anyone know, Bobby. You do realise that, don't you?" Pam pleaded as she watched him dress. Bobby nodded. "Pamela, I know I gave you my word but, now that I know what it is, it doesn't feel right. It makes us both complicit in JR's deceit. I need to think about this a little more." "Bobby, no! There's nothing to think about. It's obvious. Telling Sue Ellen would only wreak havoc for her and for the children. She wouldn't tolerate the slightest hint of infidelity on JR's part, why should she? We would be responsible for ending their marriage, that's the reality of all of this and it's not a burden that I'm prepared to bear. It's buried now, once and for all. I don't mind you giving JR a warning, quietly, but that's as far as it goes" Pam replied forcefully.

For reasons that she was not aware of, a past between Bobby and Sue Ellen that had been concealed from her, her husband now felt conflicted. Nodding and sighing disingenuously Bobby took her hand and led her from the room. It was time for dinner. As they reached the staircase they watched as JR and Sue Ellen, arm in arm, chatted happily before reaching the bottom. Pam stared at Bobby pointedly. "Don't upset the apple cart, please" she whispered to him. Bobby shook his head but he didn't mean it for one second.

Tbc

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	234. Chapter 235

Bobby stared at his sister-in-law intently. She seemed so happy, so comfortable with JR, it was unreal he seethed. She wouldn't feel that way about him if she knew, he told himself. He pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He had no appetite for dinner that evening. What he wanted was to tell Sue Ellen the truth about her supposedly adoring husband and then finish what he had started earlier in the den. Why should JR get away with it? He fumed as he watched JR pat Sue Ellen's hand lightly to which she responded with a warm smile.

Pam shot him a glance, a warning. She had become attuned to her husband's moods and realised he was at risk of blowing his top at his brother. Convinced that she had made the right decision to conceal the truth from her sister-in-law there was no way that Bobby was going to ruin things, not now, not ever, she determined.

"How did things go at your appointment, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired, breaking the silence that had descended upon the family as all but Bobby tucked into their food. "Very well, thank you Miss Ellie. Dr Scott says that the baby and I are doing fine. I can't believe I only have eight more weeks to go." JR smiled in that smug, satisfied way that Bobby had always struggled to tolerate.

"That's very good news, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Now you must get plenty of rest and allow us to help you with Ella and John Ross. I remember all too well how tiring it gets towards the end." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, on that topic I was thinking about taking Sue Ellen away on a short vacation, just the two of us, that is if you can manage the children?" Sue Ellen looked at him, surprised. "When were you going to tell me that, JR?" she asked.

"Well right now, honey. I think it would do you the world of good. Plus, it would be the last time for a long time that you and I would get to be alone together, as a couple." As JR began to outline his plans to his mother, Sue Ellen listening intently, smiling every now and so often, Pam watched Bobby. She appreciated what JR was doing. Guilt was a major factor but also getting away from Dallas, even for a short time, would take the heat off him, let the dust settle so that, when they were back, everything would be normal once again and all thoughts would be concentrated on the imminent arrival of the new baby.

Bobby, however, did not see things the same way as his wife. This was just a further example of JR getting away with poor behaviour in his opinion. Why should this just be allowed to roll off him as if it had never happened? The unfairness of the situation stung him. Right now, it was all he could do not to explode. He rose from the table suddenly. "Mama, everyone, please excuse me. I have work to do. Looks as if I'm going to have the work of the two of us to do at this rate." His tone betrayed his anger but, before anyone could question him directly, he had left the room, slamming the door to the den behind him.

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Lucy asked. There had been an atmosphere at table that evening that the young girl had encountered before, a secret that was being kept but what was it? Pam shrugged her shoulders casually. "Your uncles had a little altercation before dinner and it's put Bobby in a bad mood" she told the assembled company. "It was a matter concerning a business deal that they were unable to agree on."

JR looked over at Pam. He might not have any time for the young woman but she did appear to be genuine in her intent to conceal the Mandy affair from the rest of the family. Pam glared back at him. Miss Ellie sighed in resignation. Why could her boys not just work together collaboratively, she wondered. "JR, you never said anything about this to me?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by what she had just heard. "You were having a nap, honey. I didn't want to worry or upset you" JR replied, attempting to appear relaxed about the incident.

Lucy eyed her uncle up suspiciously and then turned her attention to Pam who was staring wide-eyed at her brother-in-law, fearful of what might be asked next.

"Is it a good idea then for us to take off?" Sue Ellen asked. "Sure it is sweetheart! Even Bobby wouldn't be able to wreck the company in the short time that we'll be away!" JR joked, attempting to play the situation down before things became out of his control. "Enough, JR" his mother warned him. "You and Bobby should talk, tonight, before matters get out of hand. If you want your brother to take care of Ewing Oil in your absence then you need to communicate!"

"Of course, mama" JR responded, cowed by his mother's irritation. "I will do so right after dinner." When the meal was over Sue Ellen announced that she was going to check on the children and then retire for the night. "I just need to have a word with Bob and then I'll join you darlin. It's been a long day" JR told her. "Try to be conciliatory, please JR, for my sake?" Sue Ellen asked him before taking herself off upstairs.

Not bothering to knock JR entered the den. He found Bobby sitting on the sofa, a large glass of whisky in hand, perusing a file that he had brought home with him. Bobby looked up. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I just wanted to clear the air, Bob. I'm sorry about needling Pam earlier. I am going to try harder to get along with her in the future."

For a moment, Bobby was tempted to tell JR that he knew the truth, to give him both barrels about his treatment of Sue Ellen, but then his instincts told him not to. Tactically, the longer he kept JR in the dark concerning the extent of his knowledge the better. That way he had time to figure out what he was going to do with it. He appreciated that it was wrong to desire a separation between JR and Sue Ellen but his feelings for his sister-in-law were overriding his conscience at every turn. "Just forget it, JR. Leave Pam alone from now onwards though" he lied.

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	235. Chapter 236

Bobby stared at his sister-in-law intently. She seemed so happy, so comfortable with JR, it was unreal he seethed. She wouldn't feel that way about him if she knew, he told himself. He pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He had no appetite for dinner that evening. What he wanted was to tell Sue Ellen the truth about her supposedly adoring husband and then finish what he had started earlier in the den. Why should JR get away with it? He fumed as he watched JR pat Sue Ellen's hand lightly to which she responded with a warm smile.

Pam shot him a glance, a warning. She had become attuned to her husband's moods and realised he was at risk of blowing his top at his brother. Convinced that she had made the right decision to conceal the truth from her sister-in-law there was no way that Bobby was going to ruin things, not now, not ever, she determined.

"How did things go at your appointment, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired, breaking the silence that had descended upon the family as all but Bobby tucked into their food. "Very well, thank you Miss Ellie. Dr Scott says that the baby and I are doing fine. I can't believe I only have eight more weeks to go." JR smiled in that smug, satisfied way that Bobby had always struggled to tolerate.

"That's very good news, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Now you must get plenty of rest and allow us to help you with Ella and John Ross. I remember all too well how tiring it gets towards the end." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, on that topic I was thinking about taking Sue Ellen away on a short vacation, just the two of us, that is if you can manage the children?" Sue Ellen looked at him, surprised. "When were you going to tell me that, JR?" she asked.

"Well right now, honey. I think it would do you the world of good. Plus, it would be the last time for a long time that you and I would get to be alone together, as a couple." As JR began to outline his plans to his mother, Sue Ellen listening intently, smiling every now and so often, Pam watched Bobby. She appreciated what JR was doing. Guilt was a major factor but also getting away from Dallas, even for a short time, would take the heat off him, let the dust settle so that, when they were back, everything would be normal once again and all thoughts would be concentrated on the imminent arrival of the new baby.

Bobby, however, did not see things the same way as his wife. This was just a further example of JR getting away with poor behaviour in his opinion. Why should this just be allowed to roll off him as if it had never happened? The unfairness of the situation stung him. Right now, it was all he could do not to explode. He rose from the table suddenly. "Mama, everyone, please excuse me. I have work to do. Looks as if I'm going to have the work of the two of us to do at this rate." His tone betrayed his anger but, before anyone could question him directly, he had left the room, slamming the door to the den behind him.

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Lucy asked. There had been an atmosphere at table that evening that the young girl had encountered before, a secret that was being kept but what was it? Pam shrugged her shoulders casually. "Your uncles had a little altercation before dinner and it's put Bobby in a bad mood" she told the assembled company. "It was a matter concerning a business deal that they were unable to agree on."

JR looked over at Pam. He might not have any time for the young woman but she did appear to be genuine in her intent to conceal the Mandy affair from the rest of the family. Pam glared back at him. Miss Ellie sighed in resignation. Why could her boys not just work together collaboratively, she wondered. "JR, you never said anything about this to me?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by what she had just heard. "You were having a nap, honey. I didn't want to worry or upset you" JR replied, attempting to appear relaxed about the incident.

Lucy eyed her uncle up suspiciously and then turned her attention to Pam who was staring wide-eyed at her brother-in-law, fearful of what might be asked next.

"Is it a good idea then for us to take off?" Sue Ellen asked. "Sure it is sweetheart! Even Bobby wouldn't be able to wreck the company in the short time that we'll be away!" JR joked, attempting to play the situation down before things became out of his control. "Enough, JR" his mother warned him. "You and Bobby should talk, tonight, before matters get out of hand. If you want your brother to take care of Ewing Oil in your absence then you need to communicate!"

"Of course, mama" JR responded, cowed by his mother's irritation. "I will do so right after dinner." When the meal was over Sue Ellen announced that she was going to check on the children and then retire for the night. "I just need to have a word with Bob and then I'll join you darlin. It's been a long day" JR told her. "Try to be conciliatory, please JR, for my sake?" Sue Ellen asked him before taking herself off upstairs.

Not bothering to knock JR entered the den. He found Bobby sitting on the sofa, a large glass of whisky in hand, perusing a file that he had brought home with him. Bobby looked up. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I just wanted to clear the air, Bob. I'm sorry about needling Pam earlier. I am going to try harder to get along with her in the future."

For a moment, Bobby was tempted to tell JR that he knew the truth, to give him both barrels about his treatment of Sue Ellen, but then his instincts told him not to. Tactically, the longer he kept JR in the dark concerning the extent of his knowledge the better. That way he had time to figure out what he was going to do with it. He appreciated that it was wrong to desire a separation between JR and Sue Ellen but his feelings for his sister-in-law were overriding his conscience at every turn. "Just forget it, JR. Leave Pam alone from now onwards though" he lied.

tbc


	236. Chapter 237

Bobby stared at his sister-in-law intently. She seemed so happy, so comfortable with JR, it was unreal he seethed. She wouldn't feel that way about him if she knew, he told himself. He pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He had no appetite for dinner that evening. What he wanted was to tell Sue Ellen the truth about her supposedly adoring husband and then finish what he had started earlier in the den. Why should JR get away with it? He fumed as he watched JR pat Sue Ellen's hand lightly to which she responded with a warm smile.

Pam shot him a glance, a warning. She had become attuned to her husband's moods and realised he was at risk of blowing his top at his brother. Convinced that she had made the right decision to conceal the truth from her sister-in-law there was no way that Bobby was going to ruin things, not now, not ever, she determined.

"How did things go at your appointment, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired, breaking the silence that had descended upon the family as all but Bobby tucked into their food. "Very well, thank you Miss Ellie. Dr Scott says that the baby and I are doing fine. I can't believe I only have eight more weeks to go." JR smiled in that smug, satisfied way that Bobby had always struggled to tolerate.

"That's very good news, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Now you must get plenty of rest and allow us to help you with Ella and John Ross. I remember all too well how tiring it gets towards the end." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, on that topic I was thinking about taking Sue Ellen away on a short vacation, just the two of us, that is if you can manage the children?" Sue Ellen looked at him, surprised. "When were you going to tell me that, JR?" she asked.

"Well right now, honey. I think it would do you the world of good. Plus, it would be the last time for a long time that you and I would get to be alone together, as a couple." As JR began to outline his plans to his mother, Sue Ellen listening intently, smiling every now and so often, Pam watched Bobby. She appreciated what JR was doing. Guilt was a major factor but also getting away from Dallas, even for a short time, would take the heat off him, let the dust settle so that, when they were back, everything would be normal once again and all thoughts would be concentrated on the imminent arrival of the new baby.

Bobby, however, did not see things the same way as his wife. This was just a further example of JR getting away with poor behaviour in his opinion. Why should this just be allowed to roll off him as if it had never happened? The unfairness of the situation stung him. Right now, it was all he could do not to explode. He rose from the table suddenly. "Mama, everyone, please excuse me. I have work to do. Looks as if I'm going to have the work of the two of us to do at this rate." His tone betrayed his anger but, before anyone could question him directly, he had left the room, slamming the door to the den behind him.

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Lucy asked. There had been an atmosphere at table that evening that the young girl had encountered before, a secret that was being kept but what was it? Pam shrugged her shoulders casually. "Your uncles had a little altercation before dinner and it's put Bobby in a bad mood" she told the assembled company. "It was a matter concerning a business deal that they were unable to agree on."

JR looked over at Pam. He might not have any time for the young woman but she did appear to be genuine in her intent to conceal the Mandy affair from the rest of the family. Pam glared back at him. Miss Ellie sighed in resignation. Why could her boys not just work together collaboratively, she wondered. "JR, you never said anything about this to me?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by what she had just heard. "You were having a nap, honey. I didn't want to worry or upset you" JR replied, attempting to appear relaxed about the incident.

Lucy eyed her uncle up suspiciously and then turned her attention to Pam who was staring wide-eyed at her brother-in-law, fearful of what might be asked next.

"Is it a good idea then for us to take off?" Sue Ellen asked. "Sure it is sweetheart! Even Bobby wouldn't be able to wreck the company in the short time that we'll be away!" JR joked, attempting to play the situation down before things became out of his control. "Enough, JR" his mother warned him. "You and Bobby should talk, tonight, before matters get out of hand. If you want your brother to take care of Ewing Oil in your absence then you need to communicate!"

"Of course, mama" JR responded, cowed by his mother's irritation. "I will do so right after dinner." When the meal was over Sue Ellen announced that she was going to check on the children and then retire for the night. "I just need to have a word with Bob and then I'll join you darlin. It's been a long day" JR told her. "Try to be conciliatory, please JR, for my sake?" Sue Ellen asked him before taking herself off upstairs.

Not bothering to knock JR entered the den. He found Bobby sitting on the sofa, a large glass of whisky in hand, perusing a file that he had brought home with him. Bobby looked up. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I just wanted to clear the air, Bob. I'm sorry about needling Pam earlier. I am going to try harder to get along with her in the future."

For a moment, Bobby was tempted to tell JR that he knew the truth, to give him both barrels about his treatment of Sue Ellen, but then his instincts told him not to. Tactically, the longer he kept JR in the dark concerning the extent of his knowledge the better. That way he had time to figure out what he was going to do with it. He appreciated that it was wrong to desire a separation between JR and Sue Ellen but his feelings for his sister-in-law were overriding his conscience at every turn. "Just forget it, JR. Leave Pam alone from now onwards though" he lied.

tbc


	237. Chapter 238

Bobby stared at his sister-in-law intently. She seemed so happy, so comfortable with JR, it was unreal he seethed. She wouldn't feel that way about him if she knew, he told himself. He pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He had no appetite for dinner that evening. What he wanted was to tell Sue Ellen the truth about her supposedly adoring husband and then finish what he had started earlier in the den. Why should JR get away with it? He fumed as he watched JR pat Sue Ellen's hand lightly to which she responded with a warm smile.

Pam shot him a glance, a warning. She had become attuned to her husband's moods and realised he was at risk of blowing his top at his brother. Convinced that she had made the right decision to conceal the truth from her sister-in-law there was no way that Bobby was going to ruin things, not now, not ever, she determined.

"How did things go at your appointment, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired, breaking the silence that had descended upon the family as all but Bobby tucked into their food. "Very well, thank you Miss Ellie. Dr Scott says that the baby and I are doing fine. I can't believe I only have eight more weeks to go." JR smiled in that smug, satisfied way that Bobby had always struggled to tolerate.

"That's very good news, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Now you must get plenty of rest and allow us to help you with Ella and John Ross. I remember all too well how tiring it gets towards the end." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, on that topic I was thinking about taking Sue Ellen away on a short vacation, just the two of us, that is if you can manage the children?" Sue Ellen looked at him, surprised. "When were you going to tell me that, JR?" she asked.

"Well right now, honey. I think it would do you the world of good. Plus, it would be the last time for a long time that you and I would get to be alone together, as a couple." As JR began to outline his plans to his mother, Sue Ellen listening intently, smiling every now and so often, Pam watched Bobby. She appreciated what JR was doing. Guilt was a major factor but also getting away from Dallas, even for a short time, would take the heat off him, let the dust settle so that, when they were back, everything would be normal once again and all thoughts would be concentrated on the imminent arrival of the new baby.

Bobby, however, did not see things the same way as his wife. This was just a further example of JR getting away with poor behaviour in his opinion. Why should this just be allowed to roll off him as if it had never happened? The unfairness of the situation stung him. Right now, it was all he could do not to explode. He rose from the table suddenly. "Mama, everyone, please excuse me. I have work to do. Looks as if I'm going to have the work of the two of us to do at this rate." His tone betrayed his anger but, before anyone could question him directly, he had left the room, slamming the door to the den behind him.

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Lucy asked. There had been an atmosphere at table that evening that the young girl had encountered before, a secret that was being kept but what was it? Pam shrugged her shoulders casually. "Your uncles had a little altercation before dinner and it's put Bobby in a bad mood" she told the assembled company. "It was a matter concerning a business deal that they were unable to agree on."

JR looked over at Pam. He might not have any time for the young woman but she did appear to be genuine in her intent to conceal the Mandy affair from the rest of the family. Pam glared back at him. Miss Ellie sighed in resignation. Why could her boys not just work together collaboratively, she wondered. "JR, you never said anything about this to me?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by what she had just heard. "You were having a nap, honey. I didn't want to worry or upset you" JR replied, attempting to appear relaxed about the incident.

Lucy eyed her uncle up suspiciously and then turned her attention to Pam who was staring wide-eyed at her brother-in-law, fearful of what might be asked next.

"Is it a good idea then for us to take off?" Sue Ellen asked. "Sure it is sweetheart! Even Bobby wouldn't be able to wreck the company in the short time that we'll be away!" JR joked, attempting to play the situation down before things became out of his control. "Enough, JR" his mother warned him. "You and Bobby should talk, tonight, before matters get out of hand. If you want your brother to take care of Ewing Oil in your absence then you need to communicate!"

"Of course, mama" JR responded, cowed by his mother's irritation. "I will do so right after dinner." When the meal was over Sue Ellen announced that she was going to check on the children and then retire for the night. "I just need to have a word with Bob and then I'll join you darlin. It's been a long day" JR told her. "Try to be conciliatory, please JR, for my sake?" Sue Ellen asked him before taking herself off upstairs.

Not bothering to knock JR entered the den. He found Bobby sitting on the sofa, a large glass of whisky in hand, perusing a file that he had brought home with him. Bobby looked up. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I just wanted to clear the air, Bob. I'm sorry about needling Pam earlier. I am going to try harder to get along with her in the future."

For a moment, Bobby was tempted to tell JR that he knew the truth, to give him both barrels about his treatment of Sue Ellen, but then his instincts told him not to. Tactically, the longer he kept JR in the dark concerning the extent of his knowledge the better. That way he had time to figure out what he was going to do with it. He appreciated that it was wrong to desire a separation between JR and Sue Ellen but his feelings for his sister-in-law were overriding his conscience at every turn. "Just forget it, JR. Leave Pam alone from now onwards though" he lied.

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	238. Chapter 239

Bobby stared at his sister-in-law intently. She seemed so happy, so comfortable with JR, it was unreal he seethed. She wouldn't feel that way about him if she knew, he told himself. He pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He had no appetite for dinner that evening. What he wanted was to tell Sue Ellen the truth about her supposedly adoring husband and then finish what he had started earlier in the den. Why should JR get away with it? He fumed as he watched JR pat Sue Ellen's hand lightly to which she responded with a warm smile.

Pam shot him a glance, a warning. She had become attuned to her husband's moods and realised he was at risk of blowing his top at his brother. Convinced that she had made the right decision to conceal the truth from her sister-in-law there was no way that Bobby was going to ruin things, not now, not ever, she determined.

"How did things go at your appointment, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired, breaking the silence that had descended upon the family as all but Bobby tucked into their food. "Very well, thank you Miss Ellie. Dr Scott says that the baby and I are doing fine. I can't believe I only have eight more weeks to go." JR smiled in that smug, satisfied way that Bobby had always struggled to tolerate.

"That's very good news, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Now you must get plenty of rest and allow us to help you with Ella and John Ross. I remember all too well how tiring it gets towards the end." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, on that topic I was thinking about taking Sue Ellen away on a short vacation, just the two of us, that is if you can manage the children?" Sue Ellen looked at him, surprised. "When were you going to tell me that, JR?" she asked.

"Well right now, honey. I think it would do you the world of good. Plus, it would be the last time for a long time that you and I would get to be alone together, as a couple." As JR began to outline his plans to his mother, Sue Ellen listening intently, smiling every now and so often, Pam watched Bobby. She appreciated what JR was doing. Guilt was a major factor but also getting away from Dallas, even for a short time, would take the heat off him, let the dust settle so that, when they were back, everything would be normal once again and all thoughts would be concentrated on the imminent arrival of the new baby.

Bobby, however, did not see things the same way as his wife. This was just a further example of JR getting away with poor behaviour in his opinion. Why should this just be allowed to roll off him as if it had never happened? The unfairness of the situation stung him. Right now, it was all he could do not to explode. He rose from the table suddenly. "Mama, everyone, please excuse me. I have work to do. Looks as if I'm going to have the work of the two of us to do at this rate." His tone betrayed his anger but, before anyone could question him directly, he had left the room, slamming the door to the den behind him.

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Lucy asked. There had been an atmosphere at table that evening that the young girl had encountered before, a secret that was being kept but what was it? Pam shrugged her shoulders casually. "Your uncles had a little altercation before dinner and it's put Bobby in a bad mood" she told the assembled company. "It was a matter concerning a business deal that they were unable to agree on."

JR looked over at Pam. He might not have any time for the young woman but she did appear to be genuine in her intent to conceal the Mandy affair from the rest of the family. Pam glared back at him. Miss Ellie sighed in resignation. Why could her boys not just work together collaboratively, she wondered. "JR, you never said anything about this to me?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by what she had just heard. "You were having a nap, honey. I didn't want to worry or upset you" JR replied, attempting to appear relaxed about the incident.

Lucy eyed her uncle up suspiciously and then turned her attention to Pam who was staring wide-eyed at her brother-in-law, fearful of what might be asked next.

"Is it a good idea then for us to take off?" Sue Ellen asked. "Sure it is sweetheart! Even Bobby wouldn't be able to wreck the company in the short time that we'll be away!" JR joked, attempting to play the situation down before things became out of his control. "Enough, JR" his mother warned him. "You and Bobby should talk, tonight, before matters get out of hand. If you want your brother to take care of Ewing Oil in your absence then you need to communicate!"

"Of course, mama" JR responded, cowed by his mother's irritation. "I will do so right after dinner." When the meal was over Sue Ellen announced that she was going to check on the children and then retire for the night. "I just need to have a word with Bob and then I'll join you darlin. It's been a long day" JR told her. "Try to be conciliatory, please JR, for my sake?" Sue Ellen asked him before taking herself off upstairs.

Not bothering to knock JR entered the den. He found Bobby sitting on the sofa, a large glass of whisky in hand, perusing a file that he had brought home with him. Bobby looked up. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I just wanted to clear the air, Bob. I'm sorry about needling Pam earlier. I am going to try harder to get along with her in the future."

For a moment, Bobby was tempted to tell JR that he knew the truth, to give him both barrels about his treatment of Sue Ellen, but then his instincts told him not to. Tactically, the longer he kept JR in the dark concerning the extent of his knowledge the better. That way he had time to figure out what he was going to do with it. He appreciated that it was wrong to desire a separation between JR and Sue Ellen but his feelings for his sister-in-law were overriding his conscience at every turn. "Just forget it, JR. Leave Pam alone from now onwards though" he lied.

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	239. Chapter 240

Bobby stared at his sister-in-law intently. She seemed so happy, so comfortable with JR, it was unreal he seethed. She wouldn't feel that way about him if she knew, he told himself. He pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He had no appetite for dinner that evening. What he wanted was to tell Sue Ellen the truth about her supposedly adoring husband and then finish what he had started earlier in the den. Why should JR get away with it? He fumed as he watched JR pat Sue Ellen's hand lightly to which she responded with a warm smile.

Pam shot him a glance, a warning. She had become attuned to her husband's moods and realised he was at risk of blowing his top at his brother. Convinced that she had made the right decision to conceal the truth from her sister-in-law there was no way that Bobby was going to ruin things, not now, not ever, she determined.

"How did things go at your appointment, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie enquired, breaking the silence that had descended upon the family as all but Bobby tucked into their food. "Very well, thank you Miss Ellie. Dr Scott says that the baby and I are doing fine. I can't believe I only have eight more weeks to go." JR smiled in that smug, satisfied way that Bobby had always struggled to tolerate.

"That's very good news, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Now you must get plenty of rest and allow us to help you with Ella and John Ross. I remember all too well how tiring it gets towards the end." Sue Ellen nodded and smiled. JR cleared his throat. "Mama, on that topic I was thinking about taking Sue Ellen away on a short vacation, just the two of us, that is if you can manage the children?" Sue Ellen looked at him, surprised. "When were you going to tell me that, JR?" she asked.

"Well right now, honey. I think it would do you the world of good. Plus, it would be the last time for a long time that you and I would get to be alone together, as a couple." As JR began to outline his plans to his mother, Sue Ellen listening intently, smiling every now and so often, Pam watched Bobby. She appreciated what JR was doing. Guilt was a major factor but also getting away from Dallas, even for a short time, would take the heat off him, let the dust settle so that, when they were back, everything would be normal once again and all thoughts would be concentrated on the imminent arrival of the new baby.

Bobby, however, did not see things the same way as his wife. This was just a further example of JR getting away with poor behaviour in his opinion. Why should this just be allowed to roll off him as if it had never happened? The unfairness of the situation stung him. Right now, it was all he could do not to explode. He rose from the table suddenly. "Mama, everyone, please excuse me. I have work to do. Looks as if I'm going to have the work of the two of us to do at this rate." His tone betrayed his anger but, before anyone could question him directly, he had left the room, slamming the door to the den behind him.

"What's the matter with Bobby?" Lucy asked. There had been an atmosphere at table that evening that the young girl had encountered before, a secret that was being kept but what was it? Pam shrugged her shoulders casually. "Your uncles had a little altercation before dinner and it's put Bobby in a bad mood" she told the assembled company. "It was a matter concerning a business deal that they were unable to agree on."

JR looked over at Pam. He might not have any time for the young woman but she did appear to be genuine in her intent to conceal the Mandy affair from the rest of the family. Pam glared back at him. Miss Ellie sighed in resignation. Why could her boys not just work together collaboratively, she wondered. "JR, you never said anything about this to me?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed by what she had just heard. "You were having a nap, honey. I didn't want to worry or upset you" JR replied, attempting to appear relaxed about the incident.

Lucy eyed her uncle up suspiciously and then turned her attention to Pam who was staring wide-eyed at her brother-in-law, fearful of what might be asked next.

"Is it a good idea then for us to take off?" Sue Ellen asked. "Sure it is sweetheart! Even Bobby wouldn't be able to wreck the company in the short time that we'll be away!" JR joked, attempting to play the situation down before things became out of his control. "Enough, JR" his mother warned him. "You and Bobby should talk, tonight, before matters get out of hand. If you want your brother to take care of Ewing Oil in your absence then you need to communicate!"

"Of course, mama" JR responded, cowed by his mother's irritation. "I will do so right after dinner." When the meal was over Sue Ellen announced that she was going to check on the children and then retire for the night. "I just need to have a word with Bob and then I'll join you darlin. It's been a long day" JR told her. "Try to be conciliatory, please JR, for my sake?" Sue Ellen asked him before taking herself off upstairs.

Not bothering to knock JR entered the den. He found Bobby sitting on the sofa, a large glass of whisky in hand, perusing a file that he had brought home with him. Bobby looked up. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "I just wanted to clear the air, Bob. I'm sorry about needling Pam earlier. I am going to try harder to get along with her in the future."

For a moment, Bobby was tempted to tell JR that he knew the truth, to give him both barrels about his treatment of Sue Ellen, but then his instincts told him not to. Tactically, the longer he kept JR in the dark concerning the extent of his knowledge the better. That way he had time to figure out what he was going to do with it. He appreciated that it was wrong to desire a separation between JR and Sue Ellen but his feelings for his sister-in-law were overriding his conscience at every turn. "Just forget it, JR. Leave Pam alone from now onwards though" he lied.

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	240. Chapter 241

Sue Ellen woke and got out of bed. She peered through the curtains and smiled. The sun was already shining and the view from the bedroom window was stunning. Golden sand, miles long, framed the bright blue ocean. Taking care not to waken JR she opened the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony to take a better look. She couldn't quite believe that they were there. What had inspired her husband to bring her here she wondered. She didn't think he had it in him to devise such a super vacation let alone bring it about so quickly.

The sun already felt warm on her skin tempered only by a welcome light breeze. She watched as exotic birds flew through the gardens. This was like nowhere she had ever been before. They had arrived at night, direct from the airport, and she had felt disorientated as they were taken up to their suite. Now she was thrilled by what she was seeing and she wanted to say thank you to her husband.

She re-entered the room, slipped off her negligee and got back in bed. Her movements caused JR to stir. "Honey? Are you alright?" he asked drowsily. "Better than alright, JR. This place is amazing" she responded, snuggling her body up to his. He turned to face her, pleased by the feel of her nakedness. "Sue Ellen?" he asked. She responded with a kiss. "Thank you for bringing me here, JR. Whatever made you think of Los Cabos?" "I did some research and this place seemed perfect. It's one of the most luxurious places to stay in Mexico, guaranteed sunshine at this time of year and not too long a flight for you." She smiled and kissed him again for his thoughtfulness.

The kiss awoke the usual feelings in him but, as he began to touch her body, a wave of guilt swept over him. How could he have been prepared to risk what he had with Sue Ellen for another woman, he worried as he attempted to focus on what they were doing at that moment. She began to touch him, stroking him at first but then, after releasing his cock from his shorts, taking him more firmly in hand. JR moaned gently as she did so, his member responding swiftly in arousal, thoughts of his betrayal quickly evaporating.

Using his fingers to reciprocate he felt her warm, silky wetness. Pregnancy had not dented her desire for sex, he mused as he continued. She arched her back in response to his touch. She was ready for him. He moved her gently onto her side and entered her from behind. "Oh, Sue Ellen! Honey that feels so good" he murmured as he moved in and out of her, all the while stroking her clitoris to enhance her pleasure. She writhed slightly, urging him to make her come. He took her cue, gripped her more tightly around her thigh and began to thrust more vigorously, kissing the nape of her neck as he did so. She closed her eyes and grasped the edge of the quilt, her breath quickening as he continued what he was doing. Suddenly she cried out his name and then shuddered, waves of pleasure rushing inside her, all sense of control lost. JR laughed wickedly. "Is that good, sugar?" he asked. "I know what you like, don't I?" She murmured imperceptibly in reply although he perceived agreement on her part. Several more thrusts and he too was sent over. Grunting in appreciation he filled her. For a few seconds after he was done he remained inside her, luxuriating in her soft, warm wetness. As he withdrew he told her he loved her. "And I love you, JR. This is starting out to be a wonderful vacation."

Back in Dallas, at the offices of Ewing Oil Bobby tried but failed to concentrate on the task in hand. He tossed a draft contract to the side of his desk, confused by some of the wording, wording that he knew his brother would have been able to interpret quickly and easily had he been there. However, he wasn't, Bobby fumed. He had taken off with Sue Ellen with hardly a bye or leave and, no doubt, once they were back she would be more loved-up with him than ever. That was the way his brother operated, he seethed, winning Sue Ellen over by spending his money on her, spoiling her, making her want for nothing. It wasn't love, not real love, not like the way he loved her, he convinced himself.

He jumped out of his seat and poured a cup of coffee. He knew it was wrong to feel the way that he did but he couldn't help it. If Sue Ellen was his he would never betray her in the way that his brother had, he mused. As he sipped his drink he suddenly felt bad. His feelings for Sue Ellen were a betrayal in themselves, a betrayal of Pam, the sweet girl who had agreed to be his wife, who loved and supported him even when he behaved badly towards her. The problem was that nobody, not even Pam, could hold a candle to his sister-in-law. Sue Ellen had married the wrong brother, that was the size of it and, after all these years of wanting her, nothing was likely to change the way he felt.

His thoughts turned to the woman who had, albeit briefly, attracted the attention of his brother. Since he had discovered that JR had been seeing Mandy he had deliberately given the woman a wide berth for fear of what he might say to her. Pam had attempted to warn Cliff off Mandy in general terms but he was so smitten with the young woman's charms that he was quick to reject his sister's advice and accuse her of not wanting him to be happy.

He reached for his telephone and rang directory enquiries. Scribbling the number provided down onto his notepad he replaced the receiver and then paused. He took a further swig of coffee before reaching once more for the handset. As the phone rang out he began to have second thoughts. However, before he could hang up, the call was answered. "Hello?" "Hello, Miss Winger, Mandy I mean. It's Bobby Ewing here. Can you meet me please? We need to talk."

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 **Sorry I messed up and posted several chapters that were the same. The website kept telling me that there was an error. Thank you for reading and reviewing : )**


	241. Chapter 243

Lying in the shade provided by their private beach cabana Sue Ellen sighed contentedly. Their days in Los Cabos had melded delightfully into each other and, whilst she missed her children, there was a tiny part of her that didn't want to return to the late winter gloom of Dallas.

JR leaned over her and gently stroked her swollen abdomen. She smiled. "Ah, JR, this vacation has just been heavenly. Thank you" she told him. "You deserve a rest" he responded, brushing his lips against hers. She closed her eyes, enjoying her husband's touch and the warmth of the sunshine on her skin. "It will soon be time for lunch" JR commented. "Are you hungry, sugar?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Always these days" she giggled.

He watched her as she shifted her position to face him. By choosing her food thoughtfully and by taking gentle exercise she had bloomed in a most attractive way, he mused. She had certainly gained some weight, but not excessively and mainly where it counted, the bump protecting and growing their child and her breasts being the most notable areas where she was bigger than before.

Suddenly he felt guilty again. Mandy was no competition for Sue Ellen, he reflected sadly. What had he been thinking of? God, what if Pamela ever decided to tell Sue Ellen what he had been up to, he worried. He was going to have to tread very carefully where his sister-in-law was concerned now that she had this on him, he decided.

Recovering his composure quickly and without Sue Ellen noticing, he got up from their sun lounger and held out his hand to her. "Come on, honey, let's get a bite to eat" he told her, helping her to her feet. In just a couple of days' time their vacation would be over and real life back at home would resume. Between now and then he was determined to make sure that Sue Ellen enjoyed herself because that was the least that she deserved.

While JR and Sue Ellen made their way to what would no doubt be a fabulous lunch served in the privacy of the terrace of their suite, Bobby was making a journey across town. For days, he had wrestled with the dilemma of what to do but had then become resolute, convinced that he was right. He drew up at the condominium block situated in a middle- class suburb of the city and remained seated in his car for several minutes, gathering his thoughts.

Swallowing hard, he left his car and crossed the street. What if she wasn't in, he worried. She might be at work. If so, was that a sign that he shouldn't have come here in the first place? No, he told himself, this was the correct thing to do. If Mandy Winger wasn't at home he would just have to try again before his brother and sister-in-law returned from their trip.

He knocked briskly at the door. Pam would go mad if she knew that this is what he was doing but did he really care, he asked himself and then immediately felt bad. Perhaps this wasn't the best of ideas, he mused as he heard movement from behind the door. "Wait a moment, please" Mandy asked. It sounded as though she was fumbling with a set of keys. Eventually the door opened. Shocked by the sight that greeted her Mandy stepped back from the threshold. "Bobby?" she asked, trying to appear casual. "It's not Cliff, is it? Is Pam okay?" There was something about the man's expression, however, that told her. He knew about her and JR and, from the way things appeared, JR had obviously not come clean to Sue Ellen as he had told her he would. Their relationship remained a secret from his wife just as it did from her fiancé.

"No, they are both fine, Mandy. I think you can guess why I'm here. Please may I come in for a few minutes?" Mandy sighed and then gestured with her hand for him to enter. This wasn't good, she thought as she closed the door and led the way inside. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, trying to play for time. "Please, take a seat." Bobby shook his head. "I'm fine standing, thank you, and no I don't want anything. This won't take long."

Mandy looked at him. He wasn't anything like JR in appearance, she mused. Handsome definitely but he didn't hold the attraction of his older brother, at least not to her. "I know that you have been seeing JR" Bobby began. Mandy shook her head. "There's no point in trying to deny it, Mandy. My wife saw you together. I need to know what's been going on. You see there's my sister-in-law to consider."

Mandy sighed in resignation. Is this it, she pondered. She had played with fire getting involved with JR, had suffered the humiliation of his rejection of her and now all that remained was about to come crashing down around her. Her engagement would be off and she would face the wrath not only of Cliff but the entire Ewing family as well. "There's really not much to tell, Bobby" she replied flatly. "Oh, Mandy, I think there is. You're in trouble and, if you want me to help you, you'd better start to come clean" Bobby countered.

A sudden, perplexing thought entered Mandy's head. "Why are you here, Bobby? Why is it not Pam that I'm facing right now? It's her brother that I'm engaged to" she asked, suspicious of what was unfolding. "Pam doesn't want to tell anyone. She thinks this is a matter best kept secret, for Sue Ellen's sake and Cliff's. Anyway, JR is my brother so I believe that gives me the right to become involved" Bobby told her. "And you don't think it's better left alone?" Mandy enquired. This was now becoming quite intriguing to the young woman.

"I don't know, Mandy. That's why I'm here, to find out the truth and then decide." Having appeared indignant, unrepentant even, Mandy's expression softened. Then she began to speak. "I'm not some sort of slut, you know, Bobby. I had real feelings for JR. I knew that what we were doing was wrong but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to be with him but all he wanted from me was sex."

"He's a married man!" Bobby exclaimed angrily. "I know! He made all the running though. He pursued me, made me think we might have a future and then threw me over!" Mandy protested. "How did you meet?" Bobby asked. "By chance at a restaurant. I was with Cliff at the time. They had one of their usual spats. Bobby, I didn't go out looking for JR but I do confess that I fell for him, hard. The days since he ended it with me have been dreadfully difficult but I'm determined to get my life back on track by marrying Cliff and devoting my future to him. If you tell him it will all be over!"

Bobby looked at her. She was now in tears, nothing like as hard or stony-faced as she had first seemed. "If I tell Sue Ellen there's every chance that she will end her marriage to JR" he told her. "Is that not what you want, Mandy?" Mandy stared at Bobby, surprised. "Is that what you want, Bobby, for Sue Ellen to leave JR?" Suddenly it was all starting to make sense.

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	242. Chapter 242

Mandy stared at Bobby expectantly. Bobby shifted nervously from one foot to the other before responding. "Look" he began. "I have known my sister-in-law for a number of years now. We have lived under the same roof and I've become close to her, probably closer than I am to my own brother. She doesn't deserve to live a lie, to be cheated on and betrayed. I think I owe her the truth so that she can decide her own fate and that of her children."

Mandy knew he was lying, panicked by the fact that he had underestimated her intelligence, her ability to appreciate how his mind was working. "You just said that Sue Ellen would leave JR if she knew?" Bobby nodded his head in resignation. Mandy had him all sussed out in just a matter of minutes, he thought. "Well, that's a real possibility. That's what I meant. Of course, it could all play itself out differently….."

"Oh no, Bobby" Mandy interjected abruptly. "You know all too well what would happen. Sue Ellen and JR have been separated before. I've seen the newspaper reports. This would be the final straw for her, wouldn't it? That's what you are banking on happening, isn't it?"

Mandy had never been one to shy away from plotting against and trampling over others to get just what she wanted, but this conversation was turning into one of the most twisted that she had ever encountered, she pondered as she waited for a response. "You have it all figured out, don't you Mandy? Alright, I will admit it, yes that's what I expect. Sue Ellen will divorce JR and make a new future for herself. As for JR, you know what they say, any port in a storm" Bobby replied unashamedly, a hint of irritation in his tone.

"And that new future that she makes will be with you, or that's what you are hoping? You reminded me a few minutes ago that JR is a married man. Perhaps you should remember that yourself, Bobby!" Mandy scolded him. If they were going to form an alliance, as she understood him to be suggesting, then she was going to make him work for it, she schemed.

Bobby sighed and looked down at the floor. "Yes, I'm married, but not happily. Pam and I aren't the golden couple that people think. It's all for public consumption. Behind closed doors it's quite different. I know I have played my part in how our marriage is. I'd be the last person to blame Pamela. However, she never was and never will be the right woman for me and she deserves better, someone who will treat her properly."

"Answer my question please, Bobby" Mandy demanded. "I asked you if you had designs on your sister-in law? You know, I always appreciated that the Ewing family were used to getting what they wanted and would do pretty much anything necessary to get there, but this?" "This?" Bobby stared at her. "This, Mandy, is love, not game playing, not revenge, not anything other than the fact that I am in love with Sue Ellen, inconvenient though that might be. I could make her happy in ways that she could never be with JR. I thought you said you felt the same way about him?" he countered tersely, wondering why he had bothered to visit, to lay his feelings on the line to her in the brutal way that he just had.

Mandy gulped. Could this really be her way of getting JR back? "I do love him, Bobby. Intellectually I know that it's wrong but emotionally I can't help it. I knew from the moment I set eyes on him. I bet you felt the same about Sue Ellen?"

Bobby nodded. "From the second I first saw her, I just felt it. I've tried to fight it, Mandy, I really have but it's no use" he responded, an air of despair in his voice. "Will you sit down? Bobby please? We have to think this through" Mandy asked him. "I will fetch us some coffee." Bobby did as he was told, relieved that she was no longer rejecting what he was suggesting out of hand.

A few minutes later Mandy returned, tray in hand. She set it down on an occasional table and poured two cups, pausing for Bobby to indicate whether he wanted milk and sugar. Bobby shook his head and accepted the cup. "Thank you" he told her. Mandy sat facing him. She took a brief sip of her coffee and began speaking once more. "He will fight you, Bobby, over his children. I know JR well enough by now to know that. Losing Sue Ellen, especially to you, would be bad enough, but he isn't going to lose his children, not without an almighty fight."

"I know, I've thought about that. The children should be with their mother, though. They can still see and have a relationship with their father but their place is with their mama. In any case, if he had you he could start all over again." Mandy gazed at him. It wouldn't be that easy, she mused, however, by that point, it wouldn't be her problem any more. As long as she had JR on the hook that would be enough. It would be better all round, like Bobby said, for Sue Ellen to remain the main carer for her children as she wasn't really interested in children who weren't her own. However, if JR did win custody of his children, then so be it, she thought. She would just have to be the best stepmother that ever existed. She would also have to make sure that she gave JR a child or two to consolidate their relationship and place her on an even footing with Sue Ellen.

"Mandy, I know there would be very tough times ahead, for us, for them, for Pam and even for her useless brother, but I cannot consign my future to unhappiness, not now that this has happened. JR has proved what I knew all along. He doesn't really love Sue Ellen. He'd be far better off with someone like you, someone who gets him, who understands the way he thinks. Sue Ellen has never been comfortable with some of the things that JR does to achieve what he wants. Something tells me that wouldn't faze you as long as he stayed with you and gave you what you wanted."

"So, how do we go about it? Getting what we both want?" Mandy asked, emphasising the word "we". If Bobby thought for one minute that he was in a morally higher place than she was then he was mistaken, she thought annoyedly.

"Give me some time to think. I'll be in touch" Bobby informed her, rising to his feet. "See you soon, Mandy."

tbc


	243. Chapter 248

Bobby watched as the limo pulled into the driveway. He remained where he was as the other members of the family rushed to welcome his brother and sister-in-law home. "Mama!" John Ross burbled, kicking his legs in excitement as Pam, carrying him in her arms, approached the vehicle. "Yes, John Ross, mama and daddy are home" she told the little boy.

Miss Ellie, holding Ella's hand, waited for the chauffeur to open the door. "Welcome home!" she exclaimed, happy to see them both back safe and well. Bobby stared at the couple, particularly Sue Ellen. She looked marvellous, he thought, relaxed and refreshed from her break, her skin lightly tanned and her hair ever so slightly lighter, bleached from her time in the sun.

JR scooped his daughter into his arms and kissed her. "She's missed you both" Miss Ellie told him. "John Ross too. They've been very good for us though." John Ross leaned away from Pam towards his mother, arms outstretched to her, signalling that he needed her. Sue Ellen took him from Pam and held him close to her for a moment before kissing the little boy's cheek. Her vacation had been nothing short of a dream but now she was home, where she belonged, with her children and it felt good.

Bobby seethed inwardly as he observed the scene. JR looking mightily smug, his beautiful wife happy in her state of obliviousness regarding his behaviour and the rest of the family fawning over the couple. How could Pam behave as if nothing at all had happened, he wondered angrily. The fact that she had determined to collude with his brother was nothing short of sickening, he told himself in the self-justificatory attitude that seemed to dominate his thoughts and behaviour of late.

As JR and Sue Ellen made their way to the house, followed by the others, they paused to greet him. "Hi Bobby, how are you?" Sue Ellen asked politely. She didn't know what it was but he appeared somewhat troubled. "Did you have a good vacation?" Bobby eventually replied, realising that his mood was at risk of attracting attention. "Oh, it was wonderful! Bobby, you have to take Pam. You'd both love it!" Sue Ellen responded enthusiastically. Pam looked at her husband, eyes widening in warning. "I'm sure you will do, one day, Bobby?" she asked. Her tone was somewhat sarcastic though. JR might have behaved appallingly but at least he was trying to atone for it, she mused. By contrast Bobby hardly did anything for or with her these days, immersed as he apparently was in work. When they did speak in private it wasn't about their hopes and dreams for the future. Instead, their conversation was dominated by Bobby's condemnation of JR and Pam's consequent pleas in response for him to stay silent on the matter.

"Let's go inside" Miss Ellie announced. "I expect you can feel the difference in temperature now that you're back. Raoul, please get the bags." Once they were all ensconced in the living room Sue Ellen reached for her holdall and began handing out the gifts that she had bought for them all. "They're not much, tokens really. I hope you like them" she told them, smiling shyly. "Thanks, Sue Ellen, it's lovely" Lucy cried, holding up a peasant-style blouse that had brightly coloured flowers embroidered around the neckline to show the others. Pam and Miss Ellie were similarly pleased with the silk scarves that Sue Ellen had found in the hotel boutique. For Bobby, there was a bottle of local Tequila and for the children highly decorated toy donkeys that made them squeal in delight.

Sue Ellen sipped her tea but then yawned. "Of course, Sue Ellen, you must be exhausted from the journey. Why don't you go and have a lie down dear?" Miss Ellie suggested. "I wanted to spend a little more time with Ella and John Ross, though. We really did miss them, you know" Sue Ellen replied, smiling at the two little ones who were sitting at her feet playing with their gifts. "You need your rest, Sue Ellen" Miss Ellie told her firmly. "You're getting ever closer to giving birth and even though you do look extremely well you have to take things easy." "Mama's right" JR interjected. "I can look after the children until you've had a rest. Pamela, you'll help me, won't you?" Bobby stared at JR and then Pam. JR obviously wanted the opportunity to speak to Pam, to make sure that she hadn't changed her mind about their secret. At that moment, Bobby loathed his older brother. Why was it that he always managed to get away with his bad behaviour, he fumed? Pam nodded awkwardly. She knew what this was about. "Yes of course. Sue Ellen, go and get some rest. Ella and John Ross will be just fine with us.

Sue Ellen rose from her seat and excused herself. She was tired and her back was stiff from the flight. The thought of an hour or two in her own bed before dinner had become very appealing. JR and Pam, carrying the two children, followed her. Once upstairs they turned into the nursery and watched as Sue Ellen entered the bedroom, waiting for her to close the door behind her.

After a few minutes of ensuring that the children were settled and content, an array of toys to keep them occupied having been laid out on the floor for them, JR began to speak, his tone quiet to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. "You haven't changed your mind, have you Pamela?" he asked. "I mean, I am sorry for my sheer idiocy where Mandy was concerned and I am determined to be a better husband. That started with the vacation that I took Sue Ellen on and, you'll see, I mean to carry it on. However, if Sue Ellen were to find out I know she would react badly. It would be the end for us and I can't bear to contemplate that, I just can't."

Pam stared at him, her expression one of annoyance. "You should have thought about that, JR, before you made contact with Mandy" she replied scornfully. JR shook his head and sighed. "I know, you're right. I've been a fool for not appreciating what I had right here at home. Pamela, you're not going to tell her though, are you?"

Pam paused before answering, prolonging his agony. While he and Sue Ellen had been away in Mexico they had been shielded, as if in their own private bubble, from any trouble. Now they were back things were different, the fragility of his situation only too evident.

"I don't like this one bit, JR" Pam eventually responded. "Sue Ellen is my sister-in-law but, more than that, she's my friend. However, I have concluded, on a very fine balance, that telling her would only do more harm than good but know one thing, JR, I'll be watching you very carefully. Set one foot out of line where your wife is concerned and I may decide that she's entitled to know the truth about you."

"Thank you, Pamela. You have my word. I have learned my lesson, you'll see" JR told her, visibly relieved. He looked at his watch. "It will soon be bath-time for these two, won't it? Shall I fetch the nanny?"

Tbc

 **Sorry I haven't been posting much this last week. Busy at work. This is very much the calm before the storm in the story as you probably can guess. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing : )**


	244. Chapter 244

"All looks very good, Sue Ellen" Dr Scott informed her as she buttoned her shirt dress back up. JR was sitting anxiously in the main part of the doctor's consulting room. After what had happened with John Ross attending ante-natal appointments had become a form of personal torture for him, not that he showed it to Sue Ellen for fear of worrying her.

He turned his head as Dr Scott, followed by his wife, re-entered the room. He breathed a sigh of relief after assessing their expressions. All appeared to be well. The doctor gestured to Sue Ellen to take the seat next to JR.

"Mr Ewing I have just told Sue Ellen that I am very pleased with how this pregnancy is progressing. However, there is one matter that I need to discuss with you both…" "What is it?" JR interjected worriedly. Dr Scott held her hand up and smiled, hoping to reassure them. "Sue Ellen's blood pressure has remained very stable but there is a risk that as she gets closer to her due date that might change. I would like to deliver the baby before that could happen. The baby is a very good size now and the risks are, in my opinion, minimal."

"Phew!" JR commented, trying to gather his thoughts. He looked at Sue Ellen. She was the picture of calm and serenity, or so it appeared to him. "Sue Ellen?" he asked. Sue Ellen patted his hand. "Don't worry, JR. I trust Dr Scott implicitly. If she thinks this is the best way forward then there's really nothing to think about."

"As I said, Mr Ewing, the risks are negligible, far less than if Sue Ellen is permitted to go to full-term" Dr Scott explained. "Natural birth or caesarean?" Sue Ellen asked, having experienced the former with Ella and the latter with John Ross. "I recommend an elective caesarean rather than the rigours of a full labour, Sue Ellen. You will go to sleep and when you wake up you will have your baby. Easy!"

Sue Ellen nodded in agreement whereas JR seemed unsure. The last time his wife had been under a general anaesthetic he had nearly lost her. "Mr Ewing?" the doctor asked, sensing his apprehension. "Well of course it has to be Sue Ellen's decision" he gulped eventually. "When is it going to happen?" "I want to book a theatre at Dallas Memorial as soon as possible. It would be wise for you to have your bag packed ready for the first available slot, Sue Ellen" Dr Scott advised them brightly and in a no-nonsense tone that Sue Ellen found reassuring, JR less so. He hated having to hand control over to others, particularly where his family were concerned, but Sue Ellen was right, the doctor had done a very good job in both her previous pregnancies and he had no choice, in reality, but to leave his wife in her capable hands.

"Well then that's settled. JR, you and I are going to be parents again very soon" Sue Ellen told him happily. Dr Scott rose to her feet signalling that the consultation was over. JR and Sue Ellen followed her lead, shook hands with the medic and left the room.

Walking out into the cold yet bright daylight Sue Ellen linked arms with JR who responded by pulling her body closer to his. "We must tell the family" Sue Ellen commented as they reached JR's car, pausing for him to open the door for her. JR nodded. "Yes, you are going to have to call your mother too. I'm not having her at Southfork until after the baby is born though. She would only get on my nerves with her fussing and blathering on."

Sue Ellen looked at him as he crossed the front of his Mercedes and made to get into the driver's seat. "JR, are you worried?" she asked him, watching as he fastened his seatbelt and switched the engine on. "A little, honey. I mean after what happened last time. I nearly lost you both. I can't help but feel anxious, don't you?" he responded, knowing that she wouldn't believe him if he tried to deny it.

"No, JR. I feel really positive. Dr Scott knows what's she's doing. In any case, this pregnancy has been by far the easiest of the three. I'm strong and I'm well. What better time for our baby to be brought into the world than now?" Sue Ellen patted his knee before sitting back ready for the journey home. She loved the fact that JR had made the effort to attend the appointment with her today. It made her feel very close to him to know that he cared for and worried about her. She pondered on his attentiveness towards her of late. After a short period during which he had seemed preoccupied with work and not particularly emotionally available to her, it pleased her to see him so invested in her wellbeing and that of their unborn child.

Arriving back at Southfork they were greeted by Miss Ellie. "How did it all go?" she asked, anxiously assessing their expressions. JR poured himself a large glass of bourbon and permitted Sue Ellen to explain. "So, it could be any day now?" Miss Ellie enquired after listening carefully to what her daughter-in-law had to say. "Yes, Miss Ellie" Sue Ellen replied. "I have to be ready to go in at a moment's notice."

They heard the door open and then shut again. "Lucy?" Miss Ellie called out to her. "We are in the living room. Sue Ellen has just given me some exciting news!" The young girl sloped into the room, tired from her day at school. She raised an eyebrow, surprised to see JR home so early. "What is it, grandma?" she asked, placing her bag on the floor and plonking herself down on the sofa next to her grandmother.

"Sue Ellen's doctor is going to deliver the baby early just to make sure that nothing goes wrong. It could be any day!" Miss Ellie told her. "Wow!" the young girl responded but then her expression suddenly darkened. "Nothing will go wrong, will it?" she asked, looking at her aunt, searching for Sue Ellen's reaction to the news. Sue Ellen smiled. "No, Lucy, everything is going to be just fine."

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	245. Chapter 245

Pam stared at Bobby as he paced first the length and then the breadth of their bedroom. He had arrived back from the office in a foul mood, irked apparently by the absence of his brother although the true cause was much more complex than that. It was the fact that JR had taken off with Sue Ellen, first to an early lunch and then for her appointment with the obstetrician, that had riled him. Playing happy families, he fumed, getting away with it yet again, that was JR for you.

Then Pam had announced the couple's news which had sent him into an unfathomable tailspin, one that his wife simply could not make sense of. "Bobby, I don't understand?" Pam asked him, watching as he came to a halt and glared at her. "Sue Ellen's going to be just fine. She's in very capable hands. I think it's exciting that we will have a new addition to the family in just a few days' time."

"You're the one that doesn't understand, Pamela" Bobby retorted. He began to pace again. "Surgery always carries risks. What if something happens to her? Then there's the issue of the totally false foundation that she believes her marriage to be based on. I'm honestly shocked by the level of collusion between you and JR. Sue Ellen is entitled to know the truth!"

Pam shook her head in bewilderment. "You're not going to tell her, are you? Really Bobby, you need to get a grip. What possible good can it do, especially now as she is about to have another child? It will destroy her" she protested, suddenly panicked by the prospect of him blowing the whistle on JR.

"I just feel that it should be out in the open" Bobby told her. "Then she can make an informed decision about her future." "You know full well what that will be!" Pam argued. "She will leave JR and take the children with her. It will be over. Sue Ellen would never forgive JR for something like that. Bobby, she's too proud. You'd be ruining your brother's family!"

"Perhaps he deserves to have that happen" Bobby countered. "JR can't go through life never suffering any consequences for his despicable behaviour!" "Sue Ellen loves him and I do believe that JR loves her. Does that not mean anything to you?" Pam asked angrily. "Plus, he is also making a real effort to be a better husband. You must have noticed that? You know that I rarely, if ever, defend your brother, God most of the time I loathe him, but I truly believe that we should leave the Mandy affair where it is- dead and buried. Bobby, if you tell her then you and I will seriously fall out!"

As the words tumbled from Pam's mouth she suddenly felt confused. Why did Bobby feel so strongly about this? Why would he ever want to cause Sue Ellen such pain and misery, she wondered. Was there more to this than met the eye?

"Sit down, please Bobby" she demanded. She wanted answers and she wanted them fast. Bobby took a seat in an armchair by the window and met her gaze, brazenly and in a way that perturbed her. "Tell me your motive, Bobby, and this time make it the truth. What is it about your brother and sister-in-law that makes you believe that you are entitled to interfere in their marriage? Why such an interest?"

"I have always had a lot of time for Sue Ellen" he answered. "She deserves better than JR, that's all." There was a flatness in Bobby's tone that left Pam feeling nervous. Was he lying to her? "What happened between you and JR after I left?" she asked, wanting a response but at the same time dreading it as everything was coming sharply into focus.

"I don't know what you mean?" Bobby replied. "What sent you out of this ranch, Bobby?" she asked tersely. "I told you at the time, JR and I had a massive row over Ewing Oil" he lied. "What was the row about?" Bobby sighed. She was on to him, he realised. "It was about the business as I just told you. Mama and daddy sent me to the condo to cool things down between JR and I. Why are you asking about this? What does it have to do with JR seeing Mandy?" he responded, attempting to obfuscate.

"Bobby, you're in love with Sue Ellen, aren't you?" Pam asked, choking back her tears, finally admitting to herself what, deep down, she had sensed all along. Bobby shook his head but the look on his face spoke volumes. "Bobby, at least have the decency to tell me the truth! That's why you and JR have had such a strained relationship isn't it? He worked you out and, until your daddy was killed, you were barred from here. That's the reality, isn't it?" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks, stinging her face as they fell.

"Pam, come on…" Bobby finally replied, attempting to take her arm to calm her down. "No!" she shrieked, wrenching herself strongly away from him. "Don't touch me! God, you're really messed up, aren't you, Bobby? How could you want your brother's wife?"

There was no point in denying it, Bobby decided. She wouldn't believe him anyway. Instead he stood in silence and watched as she went into their dressing room to retrieve a suitcase. As she plonked it on the bed, open, she turned to face him. "That's what you wanted wasn't it? You were intending to wreck their marriage and then move in on Sue Ellen yourself! Cliff was right all along. All the Ewings are rotten to the core and you're no exception, Bobby!"

Bobby stared at the floor as his wife began to fill the case. When she was done, she put on the coat that she had selected from the closet and hauled the case onto the floor. "I will see you in the divorce court!" she told him, pausing to take her wedding ring off before tossing it on the bed.

As she exited the bedroom she almost walked into JR. "Pamela?" he asked, looking at the suitcase in her hand. "JR, I'm leaving. However, before I do I would advise you to come clean to Sue Ellen about Mandy, before Bobby does."

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	246. Chapter 246

"Now just wait a moment there, Pamela" JR told her. "What's going on?" "I told you, JR. I'm leaving and this time I'm not coming back. Oh, how you all must have loved keeping my husband's feelings about Sue Ellen from me! Did I not deserve to know the truth or, perhaps, as a Barnes you enjoyed leaving me in the dark!" Pam replied tearfully.

JR removed his handkerchief from his breast pocket and handed it to Pam. She promptly threw it back at him. "Pamela, please? Before you go we need to talk this all through, properly. I'm not going to stop you. I just need to understand" he told her, taking her suitcase out of her hand and setting off down the stairs with it. Pam followed, quiet, uncontrolled sobs coming from her every now and again.

When they reached the front door, JR stopped. "What did you mean, Pamela, when you said that I should tell Sue Ellen before Bobby does?" She stared at him incredulously. "Really, JR? You usually have it all worked out, don't you? Not this time though. Bobby is going to tell Sue Ellen about Mandy so that she will leave you. Then, over time, he will make a move on her, like he's always wanted to. If I were you I'd admit it to her before he can get there, at least take a little of the sting out of it for her."

JR gulped. "How long have you had all of this figured out?" he asked nervously. Pam shook her head. "All the pieces only came together this evening when he was insistent that Sue Ellen should be told. Suddenly it all started to make sense. You were right, JR. I never belonged here. Marrying Bobby was a big mistake. I've had nothing but misery ever since. Anyway, it's over now. Please let me leave."

"How does Bobby know about me and Mandy?" JR asked, panic rising. "He prised it out of me. At the time I believed he could be trusted. What a fool I have been!" Pam responded angrily.

JR opened the door for her. "Sue Ellen doesn't love Bobby, you know, and she's never led him on. It's me that she loves. You do know that, don't you?" he asked her. "Right now, it feels like I don't know anything, JR. I've been treated like a second- class citizen by you all. Goodbye" she told him as they reached her car, JR placing her case in the trunk and retreating ever so slightly as she switched on the engine and reversed. He watched her car disappear into the night, heading towards the city, no doubt to her brother's. He sighed as he made to go back inside. He had always wanted this, always wished that Pamela Barnes would give up, admit defeat and just go but not like this, he mused anxiously. Right then he wanted to kill Bobby, to tear him limb from limb but what good would that do?

He took a deep breath. The air was cold, burning his lungs as he inhaled. What was to be done? Bobby might at that very moment be telling Sue Ellen, informing her of her husband's infidelity, his lust for another woman. He charged inside and back up the stairs where he encountered his mother. "JR?" she asked sternly, assuming that what she had just witnessed through her bedroom window was down to him. JR shook his head. "Pamela's gone, mama. She and Bobby have had a furious row and she's left. She says she's never coming back" he told her. "What happened?" Miss Ellie asked. "I can't explain right now. I have to speak to Sue Ellen. Please excuse me."

Turning his back on his mother before she could protest JR walked quickly to his room. He was relieved to find Sue Ellen coming out of their bathroom, fiddling with the earrings she had chosen to wear for dinner. She looked at him quizzically. "What's the matter?"

He walked over to the drinks tray set out on the dresser and poured a large measure of bourbon for himself. "Isn't it a bit early for that, JR?" she asked, watching him take a large gulp followed immediately by another. "Sit down, Sue Ellen, please. We have to talk." "You're worrying me, JR. What's wrong? Is it the business?"

JR sat by her on the bed. He shook his head and sighed. "No, Sue Ellen. There's something I have to tell you, something that is going to hurt you, but I have to do it because there's no other way." Sue Ellen gazed into his eyes anxiously, her heart pounding. Had he become fed up of her? Is he going to tell me that the marriage is over? She wondered. Then she knew, the look on his face telling. "You've been having an affair" she accused him, unnervingly calm in her tone.

"Yes and no, because nothing happened in the end, Sue Ellen, you have to let me explain. Please, just listen to me." She stood, unable to bear his closeness and folded her arms defensively. Was this in reality what she had always expected from him? When she had forgiven him for seeing Julie behind her back when they were courting he had promised her that he would never betray her again but there they were, only a couple of years later, back in the same position. Her mind raced as she allowed him to speak.

"I started seeing somebody. I was attracted to her and she liked me" he began. "I would visit her at her home and we would talk but, in the end, I couldn't take it any further because of how I feel about you so I finished it. It lasted a matter of just a few weeks. It was a massive mistake on my part for which I can only tell you that I am truly sorry. I lost my head, I've been a complete fool."

"Who is she?" Sue Ellen demanded. "Honey, does it matter?" "Of course it matters!" she shrieked.

tbc


	247. Chapter 247

JR stood up from the bed and approached Sue Ellen. "Sue Ellen, honey" he cajoled her. She took several steps back from him. Right then she didn't want him anywhere near her. "I asked you a question, JR. Who is she?" she asked, fighting back the tears.

"Why does it matter?" he replied, stalling for time. "Because it does!" she cried. "Surely I am entitled to know who it is that turned your head as you so eloquently put it, JR." He sighed. She wasn't going to let it go, he thought.

"She's called Mandy Winger" he eventually responded, hoping that she would not recognise the name from her conversations with Pam. No such luck. She flew at him and delivered a sharp slap to his cheek. He didn't retaliate knowing that he deserved it. "Cliff's fiancée! I should have known it! Why can't you just leave the man be?" she screamed. "Sue Ellen, you have to calm down, darlin. None of this is doing you or the baby any good. Please, hear me out" he cajoled her, not that she was having it for one moment.

"Go on then!" she cried. "Let's hear it, JR. What pathetic excuse for going with that tramp are you going to come up with? What was it?" JR shook his head and shifted from one foot to the other, his face stinging from where she had hit him. "I don't know, Sue Ellen. Perhaps it was because she was with Cliff. That probably was part of it. I'm sorry but you have to believe that when it came down to it I just couldn't. I left and came home to you instead."

"And that makes everything alright, does it? So, you didn't go to bed with her? What did you do then?" "Nothing" he responded. "Liar! You admitted visiting her at home but no physical contact between the pair of you whatsoever? Do you actually expect me to believe that? Don't treat me like some sort of fool, JR" she admonished him, brushing her tears quickly from her face.

"Alright, Sue Ellen. We kissed and I touched her over her clothes. That was the extent of it." Her stomach lurched as he spoke. Somehow the idea of him kissing and fondling her rival, showing her affection in the same way as he did with her, seemed worse than him just taking her to bed and fucking her.

She moved to the armchair and sat down, bereft, heartbroken. He bent to touch her hand but she withdrew it deftly. "Don't touch me, JR. I'm warning you" she told him. He moved over to the bed and sat down on it before placing his hands over his face. How could this be happening to them?

They sat in silence for several minutes before Sue Ellen began to speak again. "Mexico, JR. What was that? A literal guilt trip on your part?" He shook his head. "No, I wanted you to have a break. I wanted to spend some time with you on our own before you have the baby. Sue Ellen, you have to believe me. I love you. I always have and I always will."

She stared at him incredulously. "And that's how you show it? Sneaking around with another woman, kissing and canoodling with her. Do you know what? Until ten minutes ago I honestly thought I was lucky having you as a husband. So devoted, so loving, so indulgent. Now that is a laugh! How could I be so stupid?"

He looked at her. Her face was streaked with tears, careworn from his revelation, his betrayal of her. She stroked her baby bump, her child was moving, active, as if he or she could sense her distress. "What are you going to do?" he asked anxiously, breaking the awful silence that had descended once more upon them.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, JR. Right now, all I can think about is giving birth to _my_ baby." Her emphasis on the word "my" was biting although he didn't dare to challenge her. "Then I will decide." "Please don't leave, Sue Ellen" he pleaded, his turn now to become tearful. "I couldn't bear to live without you. Please, give me time. I will make it up to you. I will prove that you can trust me, just give me the chance."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere right now, JR. I'm staying put, right here at Southfork until I feel ready to face the future." He breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Of course," he told her "this is your home. It always will be."

She stared at him. Did he really think that she was letting him get away with this? If he did, he was mad, she decided. "Don't misinterpret what I say, JR" she responded tersely. "I may well leave once I have had this baby. You see, the Texas divorce court is bound to give me sole custody of all of my children given what you have done, so I have absolutely nothing to fear in that regard. In the meantime, I don't want you to come anywhere near me. I suggest that you move into one of the guest bedrooms. Right now, I don't want to see you or speak to you let alone sleep with you."

"No, Sue Ellen" he argued. "That's not how we are going to overcome this problem. I don't want us to lead separate lives, I love you." "Well that's a decision that you aren't entitled to make, my love" she replied sardonically. "If you won't move out of here then I will. I'm sure that the room right at the other end of the hall will be just fine, the further from you the better. I will get Teresa to move my things after dinner. Oh and by the way, I'm not coming down for dinner this evening. I've no appetite. Perhaps you can explain to your mama why that is?"

JR sighed again. "Alright, Sue Ellen. Have it your own way but know this- I'm not going to give up, not now not ever." As she watched him leave she dissolved into floods of tears. How could happiness turn to heartbreak so rapidly and cruelly, she wondered sadly.

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	248. Chapter 249

"Who is it?" Sue Ellen asked as she heard the gentle knock on her door. There was no way that she wanted to see or speak to JR right then. "It's me, dear" Miss Ellie replied. "Come in" Sue Ellen responded, sitting up on the bed and wiping her face with a tissue.

After dinner, once Lucy had been tucked away upstairs, Miss Ellie had confronted her sons. Explanations were needed, she had told them. Bobby was the first to answer. "Pam and I haven't been getting on for a long time" he told her "we have decided to call it a day. She's left, mama. I'm sorry but it's probably for the best." His mother shook her head, tutted but then decided against any further comment. She wanted to hear JR's story first.

"Mama, I have done something very foolish where Sue Ellen is concerned and she is entitled to be very angry towards me" JR began, shifting from one foot to the other as he had done ever since being a little boy whenever he was in trouble. "Well?" his mother queried, although deep down she knew what was behind this. "There has been another woman, somebody I was seeing behind Sue Ellen's back, but it finished before it ever really got started. I couldn't keep it from her though. I just felt too bad about it so, tonight, I confessed to her."

"What kind of fools are the two of you?" Miss Ellie remonstrated angrily with her sons. "I don't believe the pair of you! Bobby, I sincerely hope that you haven't returned to your past nonsense?" she asked him sternly. Bobby shook his head. "No, mama" he lied. "And you, JR, how could you? After all that Sue Ellen has given you, given this family, after all the love and support she has offered you. I'm appalled with the pair of you. What's going to happen now, JR? What if Sue Ellen decides to leave?"

"That's not going to happen, mama. She's staying here at least until she's had the baby. Then, after that, I'm determined to do everything in my power to make things right between us. I'm sorry, mama, I truly am. I know I have been a prize idiot but you'll see…" "Right now, I haven't the slightest care for either of you" Miss Ellie countered sharply. "My concern has to be for Sue Ellen and my grandchildren. You two can do as you like. Now, I'm going up to see your wife, JR. I expect you to keep a very low profile over the next few days. I don't want you driving her away by coming on too strong. Do you understand?" JR nodded meekly, walked over to the drinks stand and poured himself a large measure. Bobby followed suit. As Miss Ellie began to make her way upstairs, a plate of sandwiches and fruit in her hand supplied from the kitchen, her sons were sitting in awkward silence, drinking, aiming for numbness. What has happened to this family, Miss Ellie mused sadly as she approached Sue Ellen's room.

At Sue Ellen's command, she opened the door and entered the room. "I know what has happened, Sue Ellen" she began. "I'm disgusted with JR and I have told him. Here you are, you need to keep your strength up." Sue Ellen waved the plate away tearfully. "Maybe later, Miss Ellie, thank you" she told her. "I just can't face it at the moment. I'm too upset."

Miss Ellie sat down on the edge of the bed and studied the young woman. She hadn't known quite what to make of Sue Ellen when JR first began dating her. Was she with him for the money and the status, she had worried but, over time, seeing them together, observing the way that she looked at him, she had become convinced. Sue Ellen loved JR, just as she had loved Jock, and, over the years, the young woman had proved it by her patient tolerance of him, her willingness to forgive his past transgressions in the interests of their future together as a family. JR didn't know just how lucky he was to have her, Miss Ellie mused sadly. Could this now represent the final straw for the young woman though?

She patted Sue Ellen's hand. "I'm sorry, Sue Ellen" she told her. "Sorry for what?" Sue Ellen asked. "This isn't your fault, Miss Ellie." Miss Ellie shook her head. "Yes, it is, dear. Jock and I brought up our sons to have a massive sense of entitlement, whatever they wanted they got. It has equipped them badly for marriage where there has to be give and take, where loyalty and trust works both ways, not just their way. We did a bad job with our boys and that's the sum total of it."

Sue Ellen sighed sadly. "JR knows right from wrong though, doesn't he? That's something that you and Jock instilled in him. Plus, he knew just how I would react to finding out. It's the cruellest of betrayals!" "You know, Jock wasn't exactly a saint when we were younger. He had a couple of affairs when the boys were little." Sue Ellen stared at her mother-in-law incredulously. "I had no idea! Miss Ellie, how did you cope?"

"Oh, I was very angry at the time. I knew he was playing away, I could just sense it, he was different with me. Eventually I snapped and confronted him. He didn't have to admit it though, I could tell by the look on his face."

"You didn't leave though?" Sue Ellen asked. Miss Ellie shook her head. "No, I didn't. I loved him you see. There were also the boys to think of but, mainly, it was because I loved him that we eventually got past it. Now, I'm not saying that you should do as I did. You are your own person and you know your own mind. All I guess I am saying is that if there is deep love there, between you both, and I believe that there is, then there is a way forward. It will be very hard, at least at first. You will look at him differently, you will find it hard to accept his touch and there will be times when you are tempted to misinterpret the most innocuous things he tells you, to distrust him, to question his motives but, if you want to, and you have to want to, you can get through this, as a couple, together."

"I need time to think, Miss Ellie, but first of all I have to bring this baby into the world safely" Sue Ellen eventually responded, floored by her mother-in-law's revelation. "Yes, you do, dear, and I will do all I can to help you."

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	249. Chapter 250

JR looked up from the breakfast table as Sue Ellen ended the telephone call that she had just taken in the hallway with a polite "thank you, Yes, I understand perfectly." He quickly glanced away fearing that making eye contact with her might arouse anger on her part.

The last two days had been rough to say the least. Attempts to appease her when they were on their own together had fallen on stony ground, met with vicious recriminations that reminded him that his wife had a fiery side to her personality. Worse still, however, was the atmosphere when they were with their children. Stilted, awkward and overly polite interactions designed not to upset Ella and John Ross were all that passed between them. JR longed for the times when he and Sue Ellen were able to care for and entertain their little ones naturally and, most of all, lovingly but they seemed a very long way away now.

Nights were spent apart, JR having bowed to the pressure to relocate to one of the guest rooms. There, he would toss and turn, unable to sleep for anything other than short periods notwithstanding the copious amounts of bourbon that he would consume before bed. Then he would wake, disturbed by his loneliness, haunted by the ruination that he had caused.

On top of all of that there was his relationship, or more accurately lack of one, with his brother. As Pam's parting words to him were replayed over and over in his head JR became consumed with hatred towards Bobby. Yesterday evening after the secretaries had all gone JR finally lost it. He stormed into Bobby's office demanding the truth. Was Pam right? Had Bobby planned to tell Sue Ellen about Mandy to destroy their marriage and then move in on her himself? Disturbingly, Bobby neither admitted nor denied what Pam had reported. He just stared brazenly at JR before inviting him to settle matters with their fists.

JR walked away. Fighting would resolve nothing, he had decided. However, before he did so, he issued his brother with a warning. "I am telling you, little brother, no I am promising you, nobody is going to take my girl away from me, not now, not ever. If you want a war you can have one but there will only be one winner, mark my words." Bobby shook his head, smirked but made no reply. That's not your decision to make, JR, he told himself inwardly. Let's see what Sue Ellen makes of this.

Sue Ellen took back her seat and cleared her throat. "That was Dr Scott" she informed the family. "The C-Section will take place tomorrow morning. I'm to be admitted to hospital this afternoon" she told them in a matter of fact tone that concealed her inner turmoil.

If things had been bad for JR in the last few days they had been a fair sight worse for her. Pregnant, isolated and depressed, Sue Ellen was struggling. Venting her anger towards JR had become her only coping mechanism but this proved to be miserable as well as exhausting. Not even Miss Ellie could provide much in the way of comfort for the young woman. The one person who could, the only one who seemed to understand her, was gone and, every time Sue Ellen tried to call her, Pam was apparently "unavailable." Sue Ellen struggled to understand her sister-in-law's departure. It was obviously connected to JR's affair with Mandy but nobody seemed to be prepared to disclose how. Had she just become fed up of all the drama that seemed to accompany being part of the Ewing family or was there more to it? Sue Ellen suspected the latter but each time she attempted to ask Miss Ellie or Bobby she found herself being stonewalled with the stock reply that Pam and Bobby just hadn't been getting on lately.

JR looked up from his breakfast. "I'll call my secretary now and have today's and tomorrow's appointments re-scheduled" he told Sue Ellen. She shook her head firmly. "Don't bother, JR. I don't want you there. You can come and see the child once he or she has arrived." Her words were cutting. She didn't want her husband, the father of her child, anywhere near at a time when she would be at her most vulnerable, JR mused sadly but did not attempt to argue.

"Lucy, go to school, please" Miss Ellie told her young granddaughter who appeared shocked by Sue Ellen's rebuke. "Yes, grandma" Lucy responded rising wearily from her chair before sloping out of the front door. "Sue Ellen, I know that JR has done wrong by you but really, as your husband, he's entitled to be there when your baby's delivered" Miss Ellie advised her, supporting her son but attempting to appear sympathetic to her daughter-in-law at the same time.

Sue Ellen stared at JR who was wearing a somewhat sheepish expression. "Alright then, for appearance sake only. I wasn't brought up to air my dirty linen in public but keep your distance, JR. This changes nothing between us, you need to understand that. Miss Ellie, will you come too?"

Miss Ellie and JR nodded their heads, relieved that a compromise had been arrived at. Bobby rose from the table and put on his jacket. Much to JR's chagrin he patted Sue Ellen's shoulder gently as he passed by her. "Good luck, Sue Ellen. I will come and see you and the baby as soon as I can" he told her. JR made to remonstrate with him but he was cut off by Sue Ellen. "Thank you, Bobby, that would be nice" she told him, wanting to hurt her husband, to make him feel jealous and insecure. JR swallowed his words before standing up to follow his brother. "I'm going to the den to call the office" he lied. Following Bobby outside into the hallway he took hold of his brother's shoulder. "I'm warning you, Bobby" he began. Bobby turned to face him before calmly yet firmly removing JR's hand. "Don't do anything you might regret, JR" he responded. "It's Sue Ellen's decision who visits and who doesn't and, right now, it seems that she's going to be a whole lot happier to see me at the hospital than you. You asked for a war and now you have it. It's on."

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	250. Chapter 251

"Are you alright, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked anxiously. Sue Ellen sat up in bed at the sound of her mother-in-law's voice. The truth was that she had had a very restless night, the unfamiliarity of her surroundings at the hospital combined with recent events had led to an inability to get to sleep for more than just an hour or so at a time. "I'm fine, thank you, Miss Ellie" she replied, hoping that she wouldn't be questioned further because, if she was, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't burst into tears.

"What time are they taking you down?" Miss Ellie asked studying her daughter-in-law's careworn expression but deciding, tactfully, to keep things matter of fact. "In about an hour" Sue Ellen replied. Miss Ellie patted her hand. "All will be well, dear. You'll see." The ambiguity of her comment wasn't lost on the young woman who sighed deeply in response.

"Why don't you go and get a cup of coffee?" Sue Ellen asked. Miss Ellie nodded. "Yes, I think I will. I could do with rush of caffeine. I'd offer to get you something but…" "Nil by mouth, but thank you anyway" Sue Ellen responded, feeling her child move and then kick inside her. In a couple of hours he or she would enter the world, something that should be a joyful event, bonding her to her husband ever further, consolidating their family, but that was not to be this time, she reflected sadly.

Miss Ellie exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Within seconds it opened again. She stared at him, Stetson in hand, wearing an anxious expression, a far cry from his usual, confident grin. "Good morning" he greeted her, the formality of his tone surprising her somewhat. "Good morning, JR" she replied, beckoning him to come nearer and to take a seat next to the bed. Now it was his turn to be surprised. He had half-expected her to tell him to get out, leave her alone because they had nothing to say to each other. However, struck by her previous, depressing thoughts about the circumstances into which their baby was going to be born, she decided that they should talk.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he drew his chair nearer. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, JR. How do you think I should feel?" JR sighed. No response to that question was going to be adequate right at that moment with the way that things were between them. "I mean you're not nervous, are you?" She shook her head. "Not about the delivery. However other things cause me immense anxiety and we both know who bears responsibility for that don't we?"

"I don't know what to say, other than I'm sorry, Sue Ellen. I truly am" he responded lamely, angering her. "How many more times are you going to say that? I don't want an apology. I want to understand why you did what you did." He shook his head. "What can I say? I don't know why I did it. I do know why I brought it to an end though." "No that's not good enough for me. If you don't know why you travelled down that path then what's to stop you going there again?"

"The fact that I made a massive u-turn, Sue Ellen. That's what will stop me" he entreated. "Tell me? What was it about her? Is she prettier than me?" she asked him, becoming slightly tearful at the mess they were now in. He shook his head vigorously. "You see that's what I can't rationalise because she isn't. She's everything you are not. She's pretty but in a trashy kind of way. She doesn't have your elegance or class."

"She's another Julie Grey then isn't she? Is that what you really want, deep down, a slut who will give you all the sex you want without commitment, without you having to take responsibility for a wife and family? If that's how you feel why did you ever marry me in the first place?" Her choice of language may have been angry, intended to hurt him, but she was now unnervingly calm, designed to disturb him.

"Sue Ellen, er, you know why I married you" he stuttered. He knew she had the upper hand. "I love you." "No, you don't" she responded quietly. "You bowed to the pressure that your parents put on you, your daddy in particular, to conform with what was expected of you, to produce an heir to the precious Ewing empire. Is that what I have been? An incubator?"

He grasped her hand, producing a cold, hard stare from her. "Sue Ellen, honey, no!" he pleaded. "You know that I love you. I've loved you from the very first time I set eyes on you. Please, you have to believe me!"

The door opened once again. This time it was her doctor, followed by Miss Ellie clutching a Styrofoam cup of coffee in her hand. "Sue Ellen, good morning, it's almost time" Dr Scott informed her. "Mr Ewing, are you alright?" JR nodded. "Just a little nervous I guess" he explained. It was half the truth, he was worried for his wife, but there was so much more to it. "There's nothing to be worried about" the doctor reassured him. "In a short while your new son or daughter will be with us. Now, could you both please excuse us while we get Sue Ellen ready for theatre? The nurse will show you and Mrs Ewing to a waiting room."

JR kissed Sue Ellen stiffly on the cheek. Miss Ellie hugged her more warmly before following her son out of the room. Whatever they had been saying to each other just before they were interrupted didn't appear to be good, Miss Ellie reflected worriedly.

The waiting room to which they had been shown was sterile in the extreme. JR took a seat but, within minutes, he was back on his feet, pacing the room. "Try to be calm, JR" his mother advised him. "It's not just the surgery, mama. I can't seem to get through to her. I'm afraid she is going to leave me after her confinement. If she does, she will take the children away from us. She knows her rights. I would be on a hiding to nothing before a Family Judge!"

Miss Ellie sighed. She was tempted to give it to JR straight- he'd made a huge mess of his marriage and now stood to lose everything. However, right at that time he looked like a little boy lost, the timid, unsure JR of his early childhood years, before Jock had taken him in hand and moulded him into the man he now was. "You need to calm down, JR" she eventually told him. "Sue Ellen loves you. You can't earn her forgiveness overnight, you know. You must be more patient. Show her how much you care. Words mean nothing but how you behave once the baby is born might change things. Be the husband and father she deserves."

JR didn't respond to his mother. Instead, he took a seat and began mindlessly flicking through the sports pages of the newspaper that had been placed on the table by his side. After an hour, he jumped once more to his feet. "Why is this taking so long?" he asked. "JR, it's not been that long you know" his mama responded looking at the clock on the wall. JR harrumphed in response. What if something has happened to them, he worried. What if this was his punishment for all the bad things he had done, to lose her or his child? Or, worse still, both?

Another what felt like an interminable half hour passed before activity was heard outside the door. JR and Miss Ellie instinctively stood. Dr Scott and a nurse entered. Frantically trying to gauge their expression they waited expectantly. "Mr Ewing, congratulations!" the doctor began, smiling widely. "You have a lovely baby boy!"

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	251. Chapter 252

"And Sue Ellen?" JR asked, overcome by the news that had just been imparted to him. "The nurses are bringing her round now" Dr Scott replied. "She's going to be sore and she mustn't do any heavy lifting for the next six weeks but, after that, she will be just fine." JR and Miss Ellie breathed collective sighs of relief. For once things had turned out alright, the latter thought to herself as she made to follow the doctor and her son.

Gesturing for them to wait until she had checked on her patient's situation, Dr Scott entered Sue Ellen's room. Seconds later she opened the door and beckoned for them to enter. "Sue Ellen! Congratulations!" Miss Ellie exclaimed, rushing over to the bedside. Next to Sue Ellen, swaddled in a pale blue blanket was her grandson. "Oh, he's so sweet! He's tiny though. What was his birth weight?" Sue Ellen made no response prompting an awkward silence to descend upon them. "Five pounds seven ounces which is a very respectable weight given that he has been born early" the doctor responded, confused by Sue Ellen's apparent lack of enthusiasm for conversation with her mother-in-law.

Instinctively surveying the room Dr Scott became even more puzzled. JR stood back from the bed, his expression one of anxiety rather than the manly pride that she had expected from him, especially considering the sex of the child. He was staring from the child to his wife and then back but was wordless. Then there was Sue Ellen. Dr Scott had always known the young woman to be a loving and devoted mother, attuned to her children's needs and more than competent to meet them. This time, however, she seemed almost upset. More worrying than that, though, was her apparent lack of interest in her baby boy. In the time that they had been in the room she hadn't even looked at him, let alone asked to hold him.

"Would you like to hold him, Sue Ellen?" the doctor asked hoping to progress matters. Sue Ellen shook her head. "No thank you, not yet. Perhaps his grandma would like to?" The flatness of her response worried the doctor to an extent before she reminded herself that the experience of giving birth in the manner that Sue Ellen just had could be shocking at times.

The doctor nodded her head at Miss Ellie who responded by gently lifting the tiny baby into her arms. He stirred and whimpered initially before snuggling into her and falling back to sleep. Miss Ellie smiled and delivered a tender kiss to the infant's forehead. "Now he needs to meet his daddy" she announced, moving towards her son, child in arms. JR held his arms out whilst Miss Ellie carefully passed the baby over to him. Gingerly cradling him, he stroked his son's cheek before finally breaking into a smile.

Dr Scott touched Sue Ellen's shoulder. "I will leave you to it. Sue Ellen, I will be back to check on you later, alright?" Sue Ellen nodded and smiled weakly as the doctor backed out of the room. Miss Ellie drew up a chair and sat down. "Sue Ellen?" she asked. "How do you feel to be a mama again?" "I feel happy, Miss Ellie" her daughter-in-law replied but there was a flatness to her tone that was concerning. "Have you discussed a name?" she enquired, desperate to lighten the atmosphere. JR looked down at his son and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well there hasn't really been an opportunity lately has there?" Sue Ellen answered coldly, staring at JR who had taken a seat in the armchair that occupied the corner of the room, baby still in his arms. "I'm sure one will come to you once you get to know the little fella." Sensing that her presence wasn't really making anything any better Miss Ellie stood up. "I'm going to leave you alone together for a while. I hope that you can both talk, constructively and meaningfully. You have just had a beautiful addition to your family. Make that count for something, please" she begged as she picked up her purse and made to leave.

As the door closed behind her JR began to speak. "Sue Ellen…" he started. "Look at how gorgeous our little boy is." Sue Ellen sighed. "I'm tired, JR. I need to rest. Please put him back in the crib. You can come back and see him later." JR stood and then placed the baby back as instructed. "Honey, we need to talk, about the future…" "Not now!" she told him forcefully. "I told you. I'm exhausted. Let it be, please."

JR lowered his head towards the floor. "Alright, I'll see you later" he told her sadly. "I do love you, you know." "Love is a losing game, JR" Sue Ellen countered. "I know because I have played it. Just go, please."

As he exited the room she lay down, back turned away from her sleeping baby. She knew she should be happy, overjoyed even. However, this time just wasn't the same as the other two times she reflected sadly. She hadn't felt that instant rush of love that she had felt for Ella and John Ross. The tragic truth was that she felt nothing for her new son and she didn't know what to do about it.

Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She was in a mess, a bad place that she couldn't get away from. She needed help. She needed her therapist, Maggie.

Tbc

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. I am sorry that I haven't been updating much recently. Lot of work on : )**


	252. Chapter 253

Two days later, with mother and child fit for discharge home, yet their baby son still had no name. The couple had reached an impasse in which Sue Ellen refused to communicate save in the most cursory of fashions and JR dared not to protest for fear of making things worse between them. He watched as Sue Ellen put on her coat ready to leave.

"Honey?" he asked, turning his attention to their son who was lying fast asleep in his crib. "You do it, JR" she said, handing him a tiny blue snowsuit that Miss Ellie had brought in. "You know I'm not very good at this sort of thing, especially as he is so small" JR commented with just a hint of frustration in his tone. The fact was that he had barely seen his wife handle their baby and, when she did so, because he was screaming for a feed or a change, her actions had a forced, mechanical quality about them, totally lacking the warmth and spontaneity with which she had cared for the older two.

She sighed and snatched the garment from him. "Starting off as you mean to go on?" she asked sarcastically. "Of course, we both know that family has never been a priority for you. It was all a sick charade for the benefit of your parents." She took the little baby from his crib and placed him on the bed. Betraying her experience with her older children she soon had him dressed. Where he would have expected her to have kissed him or cuddled him in close to her once he was ready JR was dismayed to note the complete lack of affection on her part as she placed him in his car seat and did up the straps.

She stared pointedly at her husband prompting him to pick up the car seat in one hand and her holdall in the other. Just at that moment they were joined by Dr Scott. "Doesn't he look all snuggly in that little suit?" the doctor commented, smiling at the little person she had delivered safely and soundly into the world. "He needs that today. It's freezing outside." "I would offer you my hand, doctor" JR responded looking down pointedly. "I do want to thank you, though, for all you have done." Sue Ellen smiled lamely and nodded. "Yes, thank you so much" she interjected. "Just doing my job, Sue Ellen" the doctor answered in the matter of fact, typically English way that they had become accustomed to.

As she bade them farewell and watched them make their way down the corridor towards the exit Doctor Scott felt troubled. Something was wrong with her patient this time, she worried. There had been an atmosphere between Sue Ellen and her husband that felt awkward and wrong. Plus, there was the fact that she had witnessed hardly any natural affection or warmth emanating from Sue Ellen towards her lovely little baby son. The opposite had been the case with her older two children, the young woman having achieved an easy and secure bond with them right after their births.

She shook her head, wondering what to do before deciding to call Dr Danvers to alert him to her suspicion that the young Mrs Ewing was post-natally depressed. She was aware that Sue Ellen had seen a therapist before. The woman had visited her in hospital when she had given birth to her second child and had been a reassuring presence. The hope had to be that Sue Ellen would start seeing her again, anti-depressant medication coming a poor second as a solution in such cases, she thought to herself as she made her way back to her office.

Outside JR held the passenger door of his car open for Sue Ellen. She got in without pausing to enquire whether he knew how to fit their son's seat into the back of the vehicle. It's as if she doesn't care, he worried, fumbling with the seatbelt until it appeared to be in the correct position. Once they had finally got going he decided to speak.

"Sue Ellen, I haven't been able to help but notice that you don't seem very pleased to be a mama again? What's wrong? He's such a sweet little chap." She stared at him but didn't speak at first, deliberately making him feel uncomfortable. "Don't you trouble yourself over the care of the child" she finally responded. "He will get everything he needs." "Sue Ellen, he doesn't even have a name! What are we going to tell everybody when we get home? They are bound to ask. I've been fobbing my mama and Lucy off for the last two days saying that we can't make our minds up. We haven't even discussed it!"

"What do you want to call him, JR? He's your son and, as you've said so frequently in the past, your children are your property, they and I belong to you" she asked sardonically. "I don't know. Anyway, honey, there's no need to be like that. The boy deserves to have a name. It's not his fault, you Know."

She sighed. "Alright then, let's call him after my father." JR glanced over at her. In all the time they had been together he had never thought to enquire after the name of his wife's late father. "You don't know it do you?" she asked. "It's just occurred to me. You've never asked his name!" "Er, Sue Ellen, I'm just trying to call it back to mind" he lied. He knew she had him.

"It was Matthew, that was my daddy's name" she told him after what felt like an agonising wait. "Well I'm sure that the name can figure somewhere" he eventually answered, demonstrating his lack of enthusiasm for the idea. "Or, shall we do what we always do and do this the Ewing way?" she asked. The truth was that in happier days during her pregnancy Sue Ellen had contemplated baby names and had pretty much come to a decision if her child was going to be a boy. It had been much harder to choose for a girl though and no settled position for her part had been arrived at.

Breaking the silence that had descended upon them once more she began to speak. "How about Aaron? Your maternal grandfather's name, with Matthew as a middle name?" she asked, glancing back briefly at her young son. Yes, she thought, that suits you very well.

JR smiled for the first time in days. "Are you sure?" he enquired nervously. "Yes I am" she told him. "If we failed to carry on with tradition that would make our boy an outsider and I wouldn't want that to happen to him" she remarked pointedly. JR didn't pick her up on it. Right at that moment they were at least agreed on something.

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	253. Chapter 254

As Maggie turned into the now familiar driveway her thoughts turned once more to her patient. She had been surprised, although not overly so, to have been contacted by Sue Ellen Ewing again. It wasn't uncommon for people to require therapy on and off during their lives. What had really rocked her was the disclosure that the young Mrs Ewing was a mother again. After all the dreadful business of her second pregnancy the therapist had, perhaps understandably, predicted that there would be no more children, a daughter and son more than sufficing for Sue Ellen and her husband.

When Maggie had enquired as to the general nature of Sue Ellen's difficulties she had been met with resistance. "I don't want to discuss it over the phone, only in person" she was told, politely yet firmly.

Sue Ellen stared at the vehicle that was approaching the house. She suddenly felt conflicted. She had wanted to see Maggie, desperately. The last few weeks had been extraordinarily difficult, she reflected. The problems between her and JR only seemed to compound themselves the longer they carried on going round and round in circles in discussions that began civilised but soon became tumultuous.

A short-lived yet torturous visit by her mother, ostensibly to see the new baby, only served to expose the cracks between the couple. Patricia had quickly cottoned on and, just as rapidly, had determined where the fault lay and had doled out advice. "Fix your marriage" Sue Ellen was told. "A rich and powerful man like JR was always bound to have affairs. It's the fact that he keeps coming home to you that matters. Don't allow his patience with you to wear thin, Sue Ellen. There will always be someone else willing and able to take your place" Patricia had cautioned in her usual, un-imitable fashion.

Now, Sue Ellen felt a sense of trepidation concerning her re-entry to therapy. The last time had been hard. Maggie had challenged her about some very painful events in her life, pressured her to confront inner demons that moulded the way she thought and behaved. It had been a difficult if successful process and now, here they were, back at the start again.

She looked down at the pram that contained her youngest son. Aaron was fast asleep, wrapped up warm from the chill early spring wind. He was a good and easy baby to care for, she thought sadly. He was lovely in appearance too, favouring her in looks much more than his father. Why was it then that she still felt so indifferent to him? She called the nanny to take over. "My doctor is here" she explained, not wanting to give exactly what sort of medic Maggie was away. "Yes, Mrs Ewing" the nanny replied, wheeling the pram indoors before scooping up the still tiny baby into her arms. "He's due a feed" Sue Ellen advised, maternal instinct not completely absent.

"Good morning, Sue Ellen, it's nice to see you again" Maggie greeted her as she left her car and walked towards the house. "Hello, Dr Ashworth" Sue Ellen replied formally, not wanting to be over-familiar. Maggie smiled at her. "Come on, Sue Ellen. How long was it that we saw each other the last time?" Maggie admonished. Sue Ellen smiled weakly. "Maggie then, how are you?" "Well I'm just fine thank you but we're not here to talk about how I am, are we?"

Sue Ellen shook her head sadly. She appeared weary, the therapist concluded, but then immediately reminded herself that being a mother to three such young children had to be exhausting. "Where would you like to go?" Maggie asked. "The den" Sue Ellen answered, leading the way. As they reached the door they encountered Teresa. "Would your guest like some coffee or tea perhaps, Mrs Ewing?" the servant asked. "A cup of tea would be lovely, thank you" Maggie replied. Sue Ellen shook her head. "Nothing for me, thank you, Teresa."

They took their seats, Sue Ellen choosing a leather armchair. Maggie took the sofa. They paused for a few minutes to allow the tea to be served. As Teresa closed the door behind her Maggie began. "So, you're a mother again? I was surprised, Sue Ellen…." Sue Ellen sighed. "Not as surprised as I was" she told her flatly. "How do you feel?"

"I feel tired and miserable and overwhelmed" Sue Ellen answered, the need to spill to somebody that she was not related to had suddenly become uncontrollable. "Alright, I'm sorry to hear that. Where do you want to start?" Maggie settled back in her seat, took out her pad and pen and started her note.

"JR had an affair during the pregnancy and I just can't get past it" Sue Ellen began. Maggie stared at her. "How do you know?" "He confessed it to me, claimed that it was very short-lived and ended before, well you know, before they went the whole way."

"Right, do you know why he decided to tell you? Did you have any suspicions?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "Not at all. Oh, I should say that my sister-in-law has left for good. Pam knew about the affair and I think that she told JR on the day that she was leaving that either he told me about it or she would."

"How long did it last? The affair I mean?" Maggie asked, noting not just what she was being told but her patient's demeanour. Any young woman in Sue Ellen's position was entitled to be upset and angry but it was the flatness, fatalism even, being demonstrated by her patient that was different. She had known from before how much Sue Ellen had loved JR. She had fought for her marriage to him whilst battling extreme ill health in her second pregnancy. Now she appeared to have simply given up.

"I don't know for definite. He says a matter of a few weeks. That's all." Sue Ellen eventually replied. "And why did he end it? Has he told you?" Maggie asked. This was going to be a lengthy process, she decided. "Supposedly because of how he felt about me. He said he couldn't go through with it." "How do you feel about that, Sue Ellen?" So far, everything that the young woman had told her pointed to the potential for them to put the episode behind them and to move on. This hadn't been a proper love affair, the type destined to ruin a marriage. It was a betrayal, that was certain, and JR would have to re-build her trust if they were going to make it, but she had seen that done in hundreds of cases before. No, it was the way that Sue Ellen had about her. She didn't appear to be bothered any more.

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	254. Chapter 255

As her therapy continued Sue Ellen's mood failed to improve. Sinking deeper and deeper into depression she withdrew gradually from family life. JR called a crisis meeting with her doctor. "You're supposed to be making her feel better, not worse?" he asked with evident frustration in his voice. Maggie nodded. "Your wife is very depressed, Mr Ewing. Often in such cases a patient has to get worse to get better. Sue Ellen is trying to make sense of a very difficult set of experiences right now" Maggie responded tactfully, ever conscious of who was paying her fees. "She barely has anything to do with Aaron and the other two children are constantly fighting for her attention. She's there but not there if you understand what I am trying to say?"

"I know and she feels bad about it. I can't say any more, Mr Ewing, because that would be a breach of confidentiality. I am doing my best to help Sue Ellen. Please, believe me." JR shook his head. For weeks now he had tried his best to get through to his wife. He had flattered and cajoled her, tried to get her to be more involved in family life and to convince her that he had mended his ways, all to no avail. The truth was he missed her, her company, her wide smile, her affection and her love. He also missed the sex, mindful of the fact that more than six weeks had passed since Aaron's birth and, other than being somewhat on the thin side, she appeared to be completely healthy.

Whilst all of that worried him what worried him the most was the fact that the only time she seemed in the least bit happy was in the company of his brother. For several days now Bobby and Sue Ellen had got into the habit of taking a late afternoon walk around the ranch. Something inside Sue Ellen appeared to wake up upon Bobby's arrival home each day. Her mood would lighten only ever so slightly but enough to be noticeable as she would put on her jacket and boots in preparation for going outside.

JR had tried to warn Bobby off but, scared that stopping their daily stroll would upset Sue Ellen even further, he hadn't pushed the matter far, conceding defeat quickly when his brother refuted the suggestion that he should cease being involved with her.

"Does anything make you feel happy, Sue Ellen?" Maggie asked during one of their sessions. It had been a miserable and difficult session up to that point, Sue Ellen rejecting every suggestion put to her of the positives that existed in her life. Sue Ellen paused and then, for the first time, smiled. It was a weak smile but it represented a little in the way of progress.

"When I'm with Bobby" she answered. Maggie was taken aback at first but suddenly it all started to make sense. "What do you do together?" she asked hesitantly. They were straying into dangerous territory, that she knew from her historical involvement with the family. "We just go for a walk, that's all" Sue Ellen responded. "And?" "And we talk, about inconsequential things, childhood memories, college days, those sorts of topics."

"Why do you think that makes you feel happier, Sue Ellen?" Sue Ellen paused for thought before replying. "Because Bobby listens to me. JR never does." Maggie raised her eyebrow. She knew that JR had his faults, plenty of them in fact, however lack of interest hadn't been something that Sue Ellen had complained about previously and, from her recent discussion with him, it wasn't something that she had detected herself.

"Never? Sue Ellen, we have talked a lot in the past about your marriage. Not once did you ever suggest that JR had no interest in your views?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "I haven't always been completely honest with you, probably because I didn't want to admit it to myself, but the truth is that all JR has ever seen in me has been my looks and what he can get from me sexually." Maggie stared at her. Was she right? Could it be that what Sue Ellen had previously portrayed her marriage to be was in fact a massive lie?

"What about your children? I thought JR was a doting father?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Oh, don't get me wrong, Maggie. He loves the children but he loves them because they represent the next generation of the Ewing dynasty. They are his possessions, his trophies, just like I am" she responded dejectedly. "When I am with Bobby I can be my own person. I can express my views openly and honestly and he respects them."

"Sue Ellen, are you developing feelings for your brother-in-law? There's history there that I remember all too well. Do you recall me warning you about him? When you were still in the hospital after having John Ross?"

Sue Ellen shook her head vigorously. "No! He's like a brother to me but, more than that, he is my friend, that's all" Sue Ellen lied. The truth was much more complicated though. "Why do you think Pam left?" Maggie asked pointedly. Sue Ellen sighed. "That's the one thing that Bobby won't discuss with me. He says he feels sad about it but it was inevitable in the end." "Could it have been because of how he feels about you?" Sue Ellen shook her head but made no reply. This is not good, Maggie decided. Sue Ellen was being manipulated, moved in on at a time when she was extremely vulnerable. She decided to change tack rather than challenge Sue Ellen further. That would have to wait for another day.

"Sue Ellen, do you see any future in your marriage at all? Or, is separation between the two of you also inevitable?" Sue Ellen stared at the floor whilst trying to compose a response. "I don't know, Maggie. I did love him and, in many ways, I still do but I can't stand the way he constantly has to make a mess of things."

"Would relationship counselling help?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "JR won't get involved in that" she replied forcefully. "He always says that what goes on between a man and his wife is their private business and nobody else's." "Why don't you suggest it and see what he says?" Maggie enquired, believing that there might just be a chance that JR wouldn't merely reject it out of hand this time.

Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then, I will" she answered however her demeanour betrayed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the idea that was quite disturbing.

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	255. Chapter 256

Bobby looked at Sue Ellen as they walked away from the house. Head bowed, the young woman appeared as she always did these days, careworn and troubled. He touched her hand fleetingly. "Sue Ellen? I hope I haven't made you feel obliged to walk with me?" he asked anxiously. The past few weeks had been wonderful for him. Spending an hour each day in her sole company, just walking and talking, had made him feel alive again. Whilst not totally unsympathetic to her predicament he has also enjoyed watching as her marriage to JR slowly yet surely disintegrated.

Sue Ellen looked up at him and shook her head. "No, Bobby, I enjoy our walks" she told him, her voice tinged with sadness. "Come on then. I have something to show you" he responded, placing his arm around her shoulders. Pleased to note that she didn't attempt to rebuff him they picked up speed and headed out towards the fields.

"How is the therapy going?" he asked. Sue Ellen sighed. "Maggie is good at what she does but, this time, it's not been as helpful" she answered. Bobby looked at her quizzically. "She has recommended relationship counselling but I don't know how effective that would be." "What does JR have to say about that?" Bobby asked, suddenly feeling worried, rejection of the notion out of hand by his brother being all he could hope for.

"He hasn't said yes and he hasn't said no" Sue Ellen responded. "He said he needs to think about it." Bobby shook his head. "That must have been disappointing for you. I thought he wanted to make things right between the two of you." Bobby knew he was being manipulative, pretending to be supportive but, in reality, undermining what little progress the therapist was trying to make. "Well at least he hasn't just given an outright no which is what I predicted" Sue Ellen replied suddenly feeling somewhat conflicted, disloyal even, for discussing hers and JR's private business so openly.

Silence fell between them as they marched purposefully through the fields. Bobby let his arm drop from her shoulders and took hold of her hand instead. "Come on, let's run!" he exclaimed. Sue Ellen giggled in response and then set off at more than a respectable pace, leaving him behind. She laughed as he took pursuit of her, increasing her speed to try to escape from him. Bobby laughed in response. He knew he could catch up to her very quickly if that was what he wanted but seeing her happy, coming alive for him, was heartening and he wanted it to last.

He gave her a minute or so in the lead before finally putting a spurt on and levelling with her. As they slowed down, breathless from their exertions, they smiled at each other. "For a mother of three you sure are fit" he told her. "I'm not as fast as I used to be. I need to get back in training, build up my stamina" she answered modestly.

As they left one field for the next the treehouse came into view. "Ah, I haven't been here for ages" Sue Ellen commented. "Do you know the story of this place?" Bobby asked. Sue Ellen shook her head. "Not really, JR has never talked about it. It's just always been here ever since I first visited the ranch."

"My daddy built it for me. He would spend ages during the summer evenings building the platform first followed by the walls. He called it my own little ranch house" he reminisced. "What would you do out here?" Sue Ellen asked. "Oh, I could just sit out here for hours daydreaming or reading. Sometimes Gary would come with me and we would have adventures, such as pretending to be cowboys hiding out from the Indians or cops staking out a robber's den."

He gestured for her to climb the steps. Following her, he stared lustfully for several seconds at her pert, jeans-clad bottom. "Oh Bobby! It's just marvellous!" she exclaimed as she looked around the interior. "I've done a little refurbishment job because it won't be long before Ella and John Ross want to come and play here" he told her.

The inside of the treehouse had been painted bright white. A colourful rug covered the floor and primary coloured bean bags and large scatter cushions served as seating. On a small, low table a selection of classic children's books sat waiting for their first young reader. "I could bring Ella here now" Sue Ellen told him. "She would absolutely love it!"

He beckoned for her to take a seat. For a few minutes, they sat quietly looking out over the ranch. Suddenly Sue Ellen's expression changed. Brushing a single tear from her face she turned to face him. "What's wrong, Sue Ellen?" he asked worriedly. "My father never did anything like this for me. It just makes me feel sad, that's all Bobby. You know I always felt like a daddy's girl. He was quiet and kind but he had his own demons, demons that he just couldn't quite cope with. He left when I was nine, said nothing, just upped sticks and went. I never saw him again. You have been lucky to have a father who was interested in you, who would do something like this for you, just to make you happy."

Weeping, now uncontrollably, she allowed him to place his arms around her. He pulled her in closer to his body and let her cry. Feeling the rise and fall of her breasts as she continued sobbing he felt conflicted. The feel of her aroused him yet at the same time he realised that his young sister-in-law was severely depressed and vulnerable because of it.

As her sobs began to subside she turned her face towards his. "Kiss me, Bobby" she demanded. "Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded sadly. She wanted to feel the physical comfort of a man who cared about her, a man that secretly she was finding increasingly attractive, one who she knew would never betray her as JR had.

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	256. Chapter 257

Bobby drew Sue Ellen onto his lap. Straddling him, she closed her eyes expectantly. "No, Sue Ellen" he told her, having a sudden yet powerful change of heart. She opened her eyes in surprise. "Why not?" she asked.

He placed her gently back down onto the floor next to him. "You know how I feel about you, Sue Ellen" he told her. "However, it would be taking advantage of you when you aren't exactly yourself and I don't want that. It would be wrong." "Alright" she answered, confused feelings of disappointment mixed with relief overwhelming her. She knew that if they did what they were about to do there might not be any way back and she wasn't totally sure that was what she wanted.

"Look, you know I love you but you're married to my brother and you and JR have loved each other. There are three prime examples of that back at the house. If you decide that your marriage is over and you want to be with me you have to be absolutely certain of it. You also have to be in a frame of mind that enables you to make competent decisions about the future. We both know that isn't how you are at the moment. Please, Sue Ellen, don't take this as a slight?"

She smiled at him. "You're absolutely right, Bobby. I am floundering. I need help and that's going to take some time." "I can wait" he told her, taking her hand in his. "It's getting late. We ought to get back." Sue Ellen nodded. Letting her go ahead of him they descended the steps to the treehouse and set off walking briskly back towards the house.

They walked in silence but, every now and then, Bobby would grasp her hand as a sign of reassurance. When they were almost back but far enough away to be out of earshot Bobby took hold of her by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded vigorously. "Yes, thank you, Bobby. We will go out walking again won't we?" "Of course we will" he replied.

When they got back she noticed JR's car on the drive. He was home early which puzzled her. JR had nothing on that evening to her knowledge. Seeing that nobody was in the living room she went through to the den expecting to find him working but that room was also empty.

She climbed the stairs and walked towards the nursery. Standing in the doorway she watched silently. JR was sitting in the rocking chair giving his younger son a feed, the two older children sitting happily at his feet, playing. He was talking quietly to the baby as he delivered the bottle, gazing into his eyes and, now and then, smiling at him.

JR looked up. "Good evening" he greeted her. "Did you have an enjoyable walk?" She instantly felt guilty. "Yes, thank you. You're home early?" "I came home to talk to you, about the counselling, but now isn't really the time, is it?" At that Ella, followed by John Ross, toddled towards her. She knelt down to kiss both children on the cheek. "Uncle Bobby has done up the treehouse for you both" she told them.

JR raised an eyebrow. "Really? So, that's why he's absent from the office so much these days. That and your joint afternoon strolls." She stared at him but decided not to respond. He was her husband, she knew that she was hurting him, deliberately, to gain revenge for what he had done and it was working. He looked wounded but, more than that, worried, his usual air of unerring confidence gone.

"You're good with him" she told him as she watched him sit Aaron up to wind him. "He's wonderful, Sue Ellen. A lovely placid boy, aren't you Aaron?" Seeing him with his children she felt bad about what she had told Maggie about his qualities as a parent. He couldn't be as hands on as other fathers but he did love his children and he did enjoy spending time with them, she thought to herself.

"I can't seem to get his wind up" he told her. She held her arms out gingerly to him. She knew she had to do this, to bond with her baby, but it remained a struggle. He stood and passed their son to her. "Let mama have a try" he said. She placed the tiny boy over her shoulder and began walking around the nursery with him, rubbing his back gently until, finally, he let out a discernible burp. "Good boy" she told him, placing him back down in his crib and covering him over with his blanket.

The nanny came in to fetch the two older children downstairs for their dinner. JR and Sue Ellen stood staring into the crib as their youngest child began to drift off to sleep. "Sue Ellen" JR began once they were alone. "I do want to do the counselling with you." She gazed at him, surprised. "I know I'm in the fight of my life for you, for our marriage. I'm going to carry on fighting though. I will do anything you ask because I'm not for giving up, not yet. We have three beautiful children that we made together. We've done other good things. We have been happy in the past and I want that to be the case again. I repeat, I will do anything."

His words, the heartfelt way that he spoke them, made her feel terrible. She had almost betrayed him, just as he had betrayed her, prevented only by Bobby's conscience. "Alright, JR" she told him. "I will contact Maggie about making a start. I can't promise that this process will be a success but I'm willing to try."

JR wanted to take their conversation further, to ask her to beware of Bobby, to stop going out with him, to walk with him instead but instinct told him not to. Brushing her cheek gently with his hand he thanked her before exiting the room leaving her alone with her baby, hoping against hope that she would become the mother to him that she was to her other children.

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	257. Chapter 258

Sitting next to his wife in the consulting room JR felt nervous. There had been much discussion about who would deliver marital counselling to him and Sue Ellen. Maggie explained to them both that given her personal, ongoing involvement with Sue Ellen a conflict of interest might arise. She would only allow herself to be instructed on the basis that the couple understood the risk that she might end up having to withdraw from any involvement with either or both of them if such a situation occurred.

Unable to tolerate a change of therapist for this new phase in therapy, Sue Ellen had been crystal clear that she wanted to take the risk and stick with Maggie. JR had been less sure. His preference overall would have been for a man, someone who might understand where he was coming from better. He knew from his own careful research that he and his wife would be asked to talk about all sorts of private, intimate even, topics and the thought of doing so in the presence of another woman intimidated him. Eventually he decided to give in and accept that the work was going to be done with Maggie, a woman whom he didn't totally trust but who had at least helped Sue Ellen in the past.

The therapy was to take place away from Southfork. Being on Ewing home turf wasn't the most appropriate venue, Maggie had carefully explained to them. In any case there was a risk that the needs of the children would divert their attention from the sessions. They were to arrive separately to ensure that if a session had been difficult they had their own space afterwards. If they wanted to be together following a session one of the cars could simply be picked up by a ranch hand and delivered home. The thought of the two of them getting to a stage where he might take Sue Ellen for lunch or an early dinner heartened JR although he recognised that eventuality was a fairly long way off.

He had arrived earlier than Sue Ellen, keen to show her how willing he was to set things straight with her. As ever, she looked sensational in a dusty pink wrap dress and heels. "You look nice" he told her as she sat down beside him. "Thank you" she responded stiffly. Little did he know that his younger brother had paid her the same compliment as she was leaving the house.

Maggie entered and placed two glasses of water and a box of tissues on the low table in front of them. JR gulped. He was well out of his comfort zone, he determined. Maggie cleared her throat before speaking. "Good morning, Sue Ellen, JR" she began. "Today I want to make a start on helping the two of you analyse what is good about your relationship and what is bad. I'm going to take you back to the days just after you first met. JR, tell Sue Ellen what it was about her that first attracted you to her?"

JR took a deep breath. "Could Sue Ellen not go first please? She's more used to this than I am." Maggie shook her head. "I asked you to go first deliberately. The sooner you get used to these sessions the better. Look, anything you do say goes no further than these four walls. Now, have a sip of water and then make a start."

The authoritative way that the therapist spoke irritated JR immensely. Nobody tells him what to do, particularly a woman, he thought but then decided to focus on why he was there. He wanted Sue Ellen back and he wanted Bobby's ambitions to be thwarted once and for all. Sometimes, in the middle of the night he would wake and ruminate on their situation, even thinking about making a fresh start in a new house together, somewhere just far enough away from Southfork to convince his brother, finally, that there could be no future for him with Sue Ellen.

"Er, she was just so beautiful. It was her looks and the ladylike way she carried herself. It was at a beauty pageant you know, that we first met. She was, she is, devastatingly beautiful" he began. "And?" Maggie asked. "Ah well, afterwards I enjoyed being with her. She has a gentle sense of humour, she's kind and she's clever and she understands me."

"When did you last tell Sue Ellen that she's beautiful?" Maggie asked, knowing the answer already. "In Mexico I think, before all this blew up. I used to tell her all the time" JR answered, puzzled as to where this could possibly be going. He looked at Sue Ellen who was staring at him intently. "Alright, so when did you last tell her she is kind?" JR shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She knows I think that she's kind." "And clever?"

Sue Ellen shook her head which JR noticed. "Surely I must have said something when you graduated?" he asked. Now he had an idea of what the therapist was getting at. "No" Sue Ellen replied sadly. "You have never told me that you think I am clever, JR." "Well why do you think I married you then?"

"Partly because of my looks and partly due to the pressure your father put you under." "If you thought that, Sue Ellen, why did you accept JR's proposal?" Maggie asked. "Because I loved him and I wanted to be married to him so I was prepared to live with the motives behind it."

"Sue Ellen, you tell JR now what first attracted you to him?" Sue Ellen was quick to respond. "It was that indescribable way that he had about him. He was just so confident, a real man, not like the boys at college. I also thought that he was handsome and I loved being with him." "JR? What are your thoughts about that?"

JR paused. He needed to be honest he decided. "I always thought you wanted the money as well as the prestige of marrying into my family. I knew I was punching above my weight, that you could have practically any man you wanted" he answered eventually. "So, there you are, your perceptions of why you got together are apparently completely skewed." Maggie looked at her watch. "Enough for today. We have made a start and that's good. I don't want to overload you both. Between now and next week, I want you to make an effort to say something nice to each other, to compliment a quality that the other has that perhaps has never been commented upon before. JR, you steer clear of talking about Sue Ellen's looks. She's a person remember. Sue Ellen, please try to keep the reason why you are here out of your conversations with JR. There will be plenty of time here to do that. Alright?"

They nodded meekly. How could they have got each other so wrong, they wondered as they left the room.

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	258. Chapter 259

Bobby watched as Sue Ellen ploughed length after length of the swimming pool, oblivious to his presence. When she finally came to a halt and lifted her head from the water he smiled widely at her. He took a towel from one of the loungers and held it out for her to take.

She took to the steps, pushing her hair back away from her face. As he stared at her body she suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She accepted the towel from him and quickly wrapped it around herself.

"It's a lovely day" he began. Nodding in assent, still breathless from the exercise, she took her place on the lounger. "You're back early again" she told him. "I wonder why?" he explained with a flirtatious glint in his eye. "Bobby…" "How's the therapy going?" he interjected before she could continue with what she wanted to say.

She shook her head. "I don't think it's appropriate for me to discuss that with you, Bobby. JR's entitled to his privacy and, somehow, I don't believe that he would want you to know what we discuss when we see Maggie." "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry" Bobby lied, hoping that he hadn't annoyed her. "Please excuse me. I need to go inside. The children will be awake from their afternoon nap any time now. I must get dressed" she responded, getting up from her seat. "Of course, do you need a hand?" he asked. Before she could answer, Miss Ellie came out and made her presence known.

"Bobby? Sue Ellen?" she asked with more than a hint of suspicion in her tone. "I'm going inside to see to the children, Miss Ellie" Sue Ellen told her, conscious of the fact that her mother-in-law appeared to be on the verge of another attempt at interrogation. For several weeks now Miss Ellie had been unable to resist the temptation to comment on the amount of time she and Bobby were spending together. Both had denied that there was anything in it, claiming that she was seeing something that wasn't there but Miss Ellie knew the truth. Her youngest son was in pursuit of his brother's wife and, this time, Sue Ellen wasn't exactly resistant to his advances.

As she watched Sue Ellen retreat inside Miss Ellie shook her head. Bobby made to rise. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Down to the stables, mama" he told her. "There's something that I want to discuss with Ray." Miss Ellie held up her hand. "Oh no you don't" she informed him firmly. "You and I have something to talk about and I think you know what that is." Sighing heavily Bobby sat back down, expectant of a further lecture, one that he had no intention of heeding.

Two days later and Sue Ellen and JR were once again sitting in Maggie's consulting room. They were discussing the Julie Grey affair that had occurred during their courtship but Maggie wasn't so much listening as she was thinking and watching.

Progress between her patients had been painfully slow thus far, she reflected. In all honesty, she was forced to conclude that the lack of progress was more fairly attributed to Sue Ellen than JR. Although he obviously found it hard to express his thoughts and feelings in their sessions he was actually trying his best and she had seen a more contemplative side to him recently, one where admissions of arrogance, vanity and jealousy had started to emerge.

The fling with Mandy was explained by him as the product of all of those personality qualities that he was starting to recognise and, to his credit, JR had begun to ask for help to address them. By contrast Sue Ellen was becoming more resistant to Maggie's efforts. It was almost as if she had no intention of making her marriage work, as if she was just waiting to call time on it, blaming JR for its failure, Maggie thought.

Tuning back into the conversation Maggie regained her focus. "All that supposed chivalry while we were going out together was just a sham, wasn't it?" Sue Ellen asked, staring at JR angrily. "Oh, Sue Ellen, I can wait. Of course you could, because you were getting it elsewhere weren't you?"

JR shook his head sadly. "What more can I say? I'm sorry, Sue Ellen. I never intended to hurt you." Interrupting what had now become the regular theme of JR lying almost prostrate in remorse before his wife Maggie interrupted them abruptly.

"Stop!" she told them. "You are going around in circles, vicious and damaging circles that won't resolve anything!" Shocked by the therapist's outburst, JR and Sue Ellen fell silent. Maggie took a gulp of her water before carrying on.

"What is it?" she asked. "There's something you aren't telling me. There's an elephant in the room, an issue that is almost certainly blighting your success in making a go of your marriage. It's time to be honest. JR, Sue Ellen…"

JR shook his head. Sue Ellen looked down to the floor. "Do you both take me for a fool?" Maggie asked combatively. "Say now, there's no need for that" JR replied annoyedly. "I think there is" Maggie responded, unashamed and confident that she was right.

Sue Ellen made to get up. "Oh no, you don't" Maggie told her. "The deal is that I stop the sessions when I determine that you have both had enough. Now, tell me. What's going on between the two of you?"

JR sighed but then paused before speaking. "My brother Bobby, that's what is going on. He's trying to tear us apart, isn't he? The truth is that Bobby wants Sue Ellen for himself and, from all that I have seen recently, I fear he is succeeding."

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	259. Chapter 260

Sue Ellen glared at JR. Taking a deep breath she started to speak. "That's nonsense, JR, and you know it. There's nothing going on between Bobby and I, Maggie. This is all the product of JR's overtly jealous thinking where I am concerned" she responded through gritted teeth.

Maggie stared at her and then JR. JR sighed and let his eyes fall to the floor. Not wanting to breach earlier patient confidentiality, Maggie paused for thought. She knew what had happened before between Sue Ellen and Bobby. She had been the one who had warned Sue Ellen to put distance between herself and her brother-in-law but, now, with things between her and JR at an all-time low, it appeared that the infatuation that Bobby had with her may have become mutual.

"What makes you think that there is some sort of inappropriate motivation where Sue Ellen is concerned on the part of your brother, JR?" Maggie asked. The lack of any meaningful progress on the part of the couple was now starting to make sense. There was a third- party interfering in their marriage, of that she was sure that JR was correct, the real issue though was the extent to which Sue Ellen might be encouraging it.

JR shook his head in embarrassment. Was he really going to have to explain himself, he worried. "A while back Bobby declared his feelings for her, didn't he, Sue Ellen? It caused a whole lot of problems in the family and it led to Bobby leaving home for a while" he explained "until my daddy died that is. When he first came back, Pamela in tow, things seemed normal again but the affair with Mandy and how badly Sue Ellen took it has just fuelled the fire once more. I hate what he is doing to us but I don't know how to stop it."

Maggie raised her eyebrow. "Sue Ellen?" she asked. The young woman shook her head. "The only person capable of ruining our marriage is you, JR. Bobby is just somebody that I enjoy spending time with. He lifts my spirits and makes me feel like a proper person, someone who is valued, not just for my looks but for my thoughts and opinions too."

"Can't you see it, honey? He's driving the wedge between us further and further! He knows exactly what he's doing and you're letting him!" JR protested. "What do you do together?" Maggie asked, intrigued. "We just walk and talk. He cheers me up. We've done nothing wrong" Sue Ellen lied, conscious of the close-call that they had encountered recently.

"Why can't I take you for a walk instead?" JR asked petulant at the fact that his wife didn't have a bad word to say about his brother. "That's a good question" Maggie interjected. "Why can't you both take a walk together? I presume that was something you used to do having all that beautiful land at Southfork to roam?"

Sue Ellen shook her head sadly. "We haven't done that for ages" she responded quietly. "There are lots of things we haven't done lately" JR asserted pointedly. "Ah, I wondered when you would raise that? You are so perfectly basic in your needs, JR" Sue Ellen countered sarcastically. "Why would I want to do that when I know you have been all over another woman?"

"Because I love you and guess what? I'm not going to apologise for the fact that side of our marriage has always meant a lot to me. We are both young and healthy. Why wouldn't I want to enjoy an intimate relationship with you? You're my wife!"

Sue Ellen rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "I take it that there has been nothing since you learnt about Mandy?" Maggie enquired. JR shook his head. "Sue Ellen won't let me anywhere near her" he answered miserably. It's as if she is deliberately trying to push me away, to go the whole hog with someone else and then blame me for it."

"That isn't true" Sue Ellen protested. "You just won't see it from my point of view, JR. Why would I throw myself into bed with you after what you have done to us? The thought of it makes me feel sick. I'd be lying there thinking that this was what you fantasised about doing with her!"

"You know, if you really want to save your relationship and move on in the future, sex is going to be an issue for you both. Rarely in my experience do sexless marriages work, especially when the couple are young and, as in your case, where the physical side of the relationship has been so important. Sue Ellen, I can see your point of view but I can also see JR's. You can't exist much longer when you are at such a stalemate. Now, before we finish, I'm going to give you an assignment. JR, you are going to come home early one evening this week and you are going to invite Sue Ellen to go for a walk with you and Sue Ellen you are going to accept his invitation. On the walk, you're going to discuss something that you feel you both have in common. Not the children, though, something else and, when I see you next week, you are going to tell me what it was that you both found out about each other. "

JR sighed. This was all becoming rather pointless in his opinion, because Sue Ellen seemed determined not to meet him halfway. She shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then" she responded phlegmatically. "I will take a walk with you, JR."

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	260. Chapter 261

"Where do you want to go, Sue Ellen?" JR asked shyly. He had come home early from work to take her for the walk that their therapist had recommended. Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I don't mind" she answered. "There is somewhere that I wanted to take you, if you don't object. You've been there before quite recently, with Bobby."

"Oh, the treehouse?" JR nodded his head and set off walking without waiting for a response. Sue Ellen sprinted after him, worried that, on true form, her husband had in some way discovered how close she and Bobby had come to a physical encounter when they had last been there.

Falling into a steadier pace alongside him silence descended, each of them not knowing what to say to the other. Finally, JR spoke. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" he asked awkwardly. Sue Ellen smiled ruefully. "Gosh, JR, things must be bad between us if all we can find to talk about is the weather!" she exclaimed.

JR sighed but then smiled back, much to Sue Ellen's relief. "I saw you with Aaron, in the nursery when I first got back. You're very good with him" he continued. Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes, things are getting a lot better. I do love him, you know." "I know. You're a wonderful mother, Sue Ellen. I might not tell you that very often but I do know how much you care for our children and I am grateful to you for that as well as lots of other things."

She was tempted to respond sarcastically, to remind him that none of that had made any difference when it came to Mandy Winger. However, mindful of Maggie's words that they both needed to avoid contention and try to focus on the positives between them, she refrained from doing so.

As they walked through the fields she began almost mindlessly picking meadow flowers along the way. JR watched her as she did so, charmed by the girlish quality of her actions. She is still very young, he reminded himself, and beautiful, although that was off topic at the moment, Maggie's guidance about not emphasising her looks ever present when they were together these days.

By the time they had arrived at the treehouse Sue Ellen had a pretty posy prepared. Not wanting merely to throw them to the ground she passed the flowers to JR. "Hold onto these for a moment, please" she asked. JR took them from her and stared as she untied the ribbon that held her pony tail together letting her hair fall down around her shoulders. He held onto the posy whilst she tied the ribbon around it and then gave it back to her. The gesture made them both feel instantly sad. At times, they could be normal with each other, instinctive even, in their interactions, just how it used to be, just how both of them secretly wished it could be now. However, Sue Ellen was still haunted by JR's betrayal and, increasingly these days, was becoming more and more confused about how she felt about Bobby. Worse still, deep down, JR knew it.

"Do you want to go up?" Sue Ellen asked, suddenly nervous once more. JR shook his head. "No, honey, I don't want to. I just want you to know something about this place, something that I have never told you before."

She gazed into his eyes. They had grown darker and sadder as he spoke. He looked down to the ground and sighed. "I bet you Bobby was so full of it when he brought you here?" He continued. "Well he would be. Did he tell you that our daddy built this treehouse especially for him?" Sue Ellen nodded but did not attempt to respond.

"I was fourteen when daddy finished this place. I was already working at Ewing Oil after school and during the vacations. My fate was already sealed, whether I wanted it or not, but Bobby, the golden-haired child where daddy was concerned was free, free to do whatever he liked, free to daydream and imagine, to run and ride and play here and all over the ranch. Darlin, do you know how that made me feel?"

"I can imagine" Sue Ellen replied quietly. "It made me feel worthless. Just as Bobby loves this place I hate it. It symbolises all the hurt I have endured growing up as nobody's favourite son but with a whole weight of expectation on my shoulders."

The couple fell silent for several seconds before JR began to speak again. "So, how was I to react do you imagine? I reacted by deciding to do whatever the hell I wanted when I wasn't at the office because nobody really cared and I could just get away with it. That was until I met you. Sometimes there are flashes of the old me that I struggle to control, times when I still think I can get away with anything I like. That's what I need to work on, Sue Ellen, because I'm not going to give up on all that we have been to each other, not without an almighty fight."

Tears welled in his eyes. This isn't an act, Sue Ellen reflected. This is him trying to explain, she thought as she touched his hand gently. "You know you and I have a lot in common" she told him. He stared at her, remembering Maggie's advice that they needed to find at least some sort of common ground. "My daddy rejected me by leaving when I was very young. I can see him now in my mind's eye. What I can't do is ask him why, why he walked away, why he never so much as sent me a birthday or Christmas card, why he didn't want to know me anymore."

JR grasped her hand. She didn't attempt to resist. "Sue Ellen, we both have our faults but we both see the world the same way, that's why we were made for each other" he told her. "Please, give me one final chance. I promise I won't let you down this time" he begged.

Sue Ellen sighed. "Well I'm still here, aren't I?" "That's enough for me right now, sugar" he answered, the pair of them oblivious to his brother who was standing in an adjacent field, staring, seething with jealousy.

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	261. Chapter 262

Bobby fumed as he watched JR and Sue Ellen leave the treehouse and begin to walk back towards the house. Still holding each other's hand, they appeared the most relaxed that they had been in ages together. He must have been listening to that meddling therapist, he seethed, because it's working, he's getting back in her good books.

No, he decided, that wasn't going to happen, at least not without a final push. He'd got so far with Sue Ellen, had her right where he wanted her, seeking his company, intimacy even from him, now was not the time to give up. As he left, deliberately taking a different route from the one taken by his brother and sister-in-law, he began to make plans.

Later, as the family gathered around the dinner table, Miss Ellie was quietly pleased to note that JR and Sue Ellen were engaged in a civilised conversation concerning their children. It was obvious, she pondered, that there was still a stilted awkwardness about them but, for the first time in what seemed an age, they both appeared happier, smiling shyly now and again in response to what the other one was saying.

Bobby on the other hand was uncharacteristically quiet, staring into his plate, barely eating his food. "Bad day at the office, Bobby?" JR asked. He knew what was needling his brother, the fact that he had Sue Ellen's attention that afternoon and evening and Bobby didn't, and he couldn't help but rub a little more salt into the wound.

"No, JR, I didn't" Bobby muttered in reply. "In fact, I am just about to make a very profitable deal." "We don't talk business at the dinner table, boys" Miss Ellie quickly interjected. "You both know that. Now, Sue Ellen, I've been thinking. We haven't held a barbeque since Jock passed away and I think it's probably time for us to welcome back all our friends and associates to Southfork in accordance with our usual family tradition. Would you please help me make the arrangements, when you're not occupied with the children of course?"

Sue Ellen smiled and nodded her head. "Why of course, Miss Ellie, I'd be pleased to" she replied, happy that life was finally, albeit slowly, reassuming the semblance of normality. "I thought four weeks from today. That should give us enough time to organise everything" Miss Ellie told her. "Hmm hmm, I agree. I will get on to the caterers first thing in the morning."

Talk of the barbeque caused Bobby to look up from his plate. Four weeks was just a perfect period of time to implement and effect his plan, he mused. Attempting not to smile, he suddenly became more animated and interested in his dinner.

"How was school today, Lucy?" he asked. "Boring as usual" Lucy responded, puzzled by her uncle's change in mood. "Lucy" Miss Ellie warned the young girl. "That sort of talk doesn't make for success. I hope you're concentrating on your studies and not just your social life at school?" "Of course, grandma, but what interest value really is there in quadruple equations? That's all I meant."

When dinner was over Sue Ellen went up to the nursery to see the children. JR lingered back not wanting her to think that he was coming on too strong. "JR? Are you coming?" she asked, looking over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs. "Er, yes of course" he replied, pleased by the invitation. "They are getting on a bit better aren't they grandma?" Lucy whispered mischievously, just loud enough for Bobby to hear. Miss Ellie shot her a warning glance as if to say that it was none of her business and then shooed her upstairs to do her homework.

When she and Bobby were installed in the living room, drinks in hand, Miss Ellie began to speak. "Sue Ellen and JR appear to be trying harder" she announced. "You're not going to spoil it are you, Bobby?" Bobby shook his head. "Not that again, mama" he lied. "I don't understand why you regard me as the root cause of their problems. I'm not the one who had an affair."

Miss Ellie sighed and shook her head. "No, but you have been quick to capitalise on it, Bobby, haven't you? I know what you are up to but it won't work. Sue Ellen and JR love each other and they are going to get through their problems, of that I am sure. Anyway, have you had any contact with Pam?"

"No mama, other than being served with the divorce petition last week there has been no communication between us. There would be no point anyway. It's over" Bobby told her, irritated by his mother's interference. "You treated that poor girl very badly, Bobby." Miss Ellie countered. "Don't you feel in the least bit guilty for all that you put her through?"

Bobby made to stand. "What's done is done, mama. Now, if you'll excuse me it's time for bed. I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow." Taking the stairs two at a time Bobby reached the doorway of the nursery. Furtively glancing inside, he was disheartened to see Sue Ellen and JR working together amicably to settle their children down for the night. JR was reading a wide-eyed Ella and a sleepy John Ross a story from a large book whilst Sue Ellen was sitting in the rocking chair giving Aaron his last feed for the night.

Bobby knew he should feel bad about what he was going to do but the sight of his brother and sister-in-law in newly regained domestic harmony sickened him. Entering his bedroom, he went to his desk and took out a leather-bound address book from the drawer. He leafed through the pages before landing on the number that he was searching for.

He dialled carefully and was gratified to hear the person on the other end pick up the receiver. "Hello?" "Hello, Mandy. It's Bobby Ewing here. You and I had a deal concerning JR. Well, it's time to take action so that we both get what we want."

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	262. Chapter 263

"His lunch meeting will be through for about two o'clock" Bobby informed Mandy. "You will have to make it look accidental though." Mandy sighed. "I'm not totally stupid, Bobby" she responded. "I will make it look good, trust me." She hung up and went through to the kitchen to wash the dishes from the dinner that she had cooked and eaten on her own.

This situation was weird, she reflected as she plunged her hands into the soapy water. Bobby was colluding with her to get close to JR so that he could have Sue Ellen for himself. For a moment, she felt insanely jealous of her rival. Sue Ellen Ewing was similar in age to her and, whilst beautiful for sure, Mandy resented the fact that she had the hearts of not just one but two Ewing brothers. It just wasn't fair she seethed, reaching for the towel and beginning to dry her hands.

Two days later she was standing in the street watching and waiting. Dressed to kill she had made sure that she had her hands full with two large shopping bags and a clutch purse. Peering around the corner at the door of the upmarket restaurant she suddenly saw him. He came out with two other men in tow, shook their hands and made to walk in her direction. She quickly took a step back so that he couldn't see her.

As he came around the corner, keeping her head down on the pretext of being interested in the content of her bags, she clashed straight into him. "I'm very sorry, sir, I should have been watching where I was going" she told him just before their eyes met. "JR?" she continued. "Mandy" JR muttered, awkwardly.

"How are you?" she asked. "Oh, I understand from the society pages that congratulations are in order. You have another son?" JR nodded. "Mandy, look, I don't think it's a good idea for us to be seen together, even in these circumstances…." "So, I can't even congratulate you on the birth of your child then?"

JR shook his head. "My wife knows, about you and I" he told her. "Well how?" Mandy asked, feigning surprise. "JR, I swear I haven't told a soul about what happened between us." "Nothing happened between us, Mandy, not really. Anyway, it was me who decided to confess to her and now I'm not exactly flavour of the month where she is concerned. I am trying though, to make things right between us."

"Cliff and I split up" Mandy informed him, staring into his eyes, pretending to appear sad. JR didn't reply. It was deliberate on his part. He didn't want the young woman to think he was one bit interested in what was going on in her life. "The relationship wasn't going anywhere. We both knew it. Once I had met you that became only too clear."

"I have to go, Mandy" JR stated, putting on his Stetson in preparation to walk away from her. "Take care of yourself." "Bye, JR. You take good care of yourself too. Oh, and by the way, if Sue Ellen won't take you back you know where I am don't you? I'll take you any way I can. I'll be your mistress, your girlfriend, anything because anything is better than nothing." She stroked his arm gently, allowing her hand to linger for several seconds.

JR shook his head but made no reply. Mandy watched as he walked away from her. Surely that must have been long enough to get the footage required, she wondered, as she too walked off in the opposite direction.

Walking through the stables to where her favourite stallion was kept Sue Ellen encountered Bobby. "Hello" he greeted her. "Are you going for a ride?" She smiled and nodded. "Yes, it feels like ages since I took him out" she answered. "Do you want any company?" he asked. "I came down here to speak to Ray but the hands say he has gone to the saddlery supplier. I'm at a bit of a loose end."

"Have you no work to be getting on with?" she asked, conscious of the fact that she and JR were trying to get their lives back on track and Bobby, with his charm, good looks and boyish humour, sometimes proved to be a distraction. He shook his head determinedly. "Nope, JR is in such control over the company that I'm an irrelevance most of the time. He only gives me the most menial of tasks at the office. He clearly doesn't trust me."

He beckoned to a couple of the ranch hands. "Hey fellas, please saddle Mrs Ewing's horse for her and I will take this this old girl" he told them, opening one of the stall doors. Ten minutes later and they were out in the fields. Giggling quietly Sue Ellen dug her heels in, made a "yah" sound and set off at a gallop. Glancing behind her briefly, she invited Bobby to a race. Bobby laughed and set off in hot pursuit.

Coming up alongside her they slowed to a steadier canter. Bobby looked at her. She looked so young and carefree, a far cry from how she appeared when she was with JR. At those times she seemed stiff, awkward and miserable, he told himself. No, when it came to being with him, Sue Ellen was far happier, he decided.

Slowing to a trot and then coming eventually to a halt under the shade of a large oak tree Bobby dismounted quickly and wrapped his bridle around one of the branches. He held his hands out to Sue Ellen. "Here, let me help you down" he offered, feigning innocence but intending much more. She held out her arms to him as he grasped her waist and lowered her slowly to the ground. As he set her down, his arms still around her, gazing into her bright hazel eyes, he spoke just two words. "Sue Ellen…."

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 **Thank you for reading and reviewing : )**


	263. Chapter 264

Grasping her even more tightly, Bobby's lips met Sue Ellen's. "I can't wait any longer" he murmured between kisses. Pushing her against the tree he began touching her over her shirt, his hard on only too evident beneath his jeans.

Pushing his hand firmly from her breast and breaking the kiss Sue Ellen spoke. "No, this is going way too fast, Bobby" she told him, flushed and breathless. "I'm confused. I don't know what I want, who I want, I mean."

Bobby moved his hands to her shoulders and gazed directly into her eyes. "No, Sue Ellen, you do know who you want. You want me. You're just too scared to admit it. Well then, I will wait, until you're ready because, deep down, you know it's going to happen. You and I should be together and that's the size of it."

She shook her head. "I am married to your brother. I made vows to him, whether you like it or not, Bobby. JR and I have been trying to work things out, for our own sake and that of our children. For the time being I think it's best if you and I keep our distance. Now I'm going to ride back to the house, without you" she responded firmly.

As she mounted her horse and looked down at him she noted how dejected he looked. "Bobby, I'm sorry. I have been leading you on to punish JR. I haven't been fair to you. I have to try to make my marriage work though." Bobby shook his head determinedly. "I told you, Sue Ellen. I will wait, because I know that you and JR will never survive in the longer term."

When she got back to the house she noticed a large brown envelope on the hall table. In bold letters, the envelope bore her name and was marked "special delivery." Curious, she tore it open to find a single, A4 black and white photograph. Her stomach lurched as she inspected it. JR and a stunningly beautiful young woman in the street, the latter's hand on his arm, her expression keen, earnest even, and JR smiling back shyly. It had to be Mandy Winger, she rapidly concluded.

As Miss Ellie came into the hallway, Sue Ellen quickly replaced the photograph back into the envelope. "Is everything alright, Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked, the expression on her daughter-in-law's face telling. "Yes, yes, thank you, Miss Ellie" Sue Ellen responded, attempting to appear composed. Miss Ellie stared at the envelope in Sue Ellen's hand. "It's just a letter from my doctor" she lied "inviting me to make an appointment for my annual check- up." "Are you sure?" Miss Ellie asked. "Only you appeared to be troubled. Is everything okay with you, health-wise, Sue Ellen?" "Miss Ellie, everything is just fine. Please don't worry" Sue Ellen told her. "Excuse me, I think I can hear the children waking."

Before entering the nursery, Sue Ellen went to her bedroom and placed the envelope in her underwear drawer. She wasn't just sure what she was going to do about the photograph. Confront JR when he got home or leave it for a while, until she had decided what she was going to do about it, she wondered as she made her way back to see to the children.

Just under an hour later, whilst she was sitting on the floor of the nursery playing with Ella and John Ross, she heard the familiar sound of the engine of JR's Mercedes pulling into the driveway. Her stomach lurched once more, knowing that her husband would most likely make his way immediately upstairs to see her and the children. He had been trying of late to show that he cared for and about his family, she briefly reflected as she heard his footsteps on the stairs. Was that all an act so that he could carry on his fling, she then wondered sadly.

"Good evening" JR greeted her, standing in the doorway. Ella got up and rushed over to him. "Daddy!" she squealed excitedly as he scooped her up into his arms and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. John Ross, eager to compete with his sister for his father's attention, toddled over and took hold of JR's trouser leg to steady himself. Bending down, JR picked his son up in his other arm and kissed the little boy's cheek. "Have you both been good for mama today?" he asked them cheerfully before meeting his wife's gaze. "Yes daddy" Ella replied emphatically which made JR chuckle.

Sue Ellen rose to her feet, ostensibly to check on Aaron who was still fast asleep in his crib. "Darlin?" JR asked. "Good day?" "Yes, thank you" she lied. "Bobby and I went for a ride this afternoon while the children were having their afternoon nap" Sue Ellen informed him, knowing it would annoy him.

JR sighed but said nothing. Instead he whirled his children around in the air causing them to giggle with excitement. Planting them both gently back down he took hold of a wooden jigsaw, settled down on the rug and began to encourage them to play. "Take it in turns now" he advised Ella and John Ross as they quickly began to put the pieces in place, keen for their daddy's praise and approval.

Sue Ellen stood and watched, saying nothing, alternating between anger and confusion. Why would he take up with that woman again when he kept saying he only wanted her? JR looked up and smiled at her. She smiled back in that way he knew was insincere, the way she would often smile at her mother in response to some obviously barbed comment. "Honey? Is everything alright?" he asked. What possibly could be the matter now, he mused worriedly.

"We can talk later" she responded flatly. "These two need their dinner. I'll take them down to the kitchen." Bending down to pick John Ross up and taking Ella's hand, her eyes met JR's. "You don't need to come with us. I can manage" she told him, wanting to hurt his feelings, desperate to make him feel excluded.

JR got to his feet. "Alright, darlin" he replied. "That will allow me to finish the bit of work I brought home" he lied, not wanting her to think he was bothered. As he watched her exit the room with the children, JR wondered what it was that he had done wrong now.

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	264. Chapter 265

When dinner was over Sue Ellen decided that it had to be time to confront JR with the photograph. "We need to talk" she told him, holding him back by his arm as he made to follow the others through to the living room for a nightcap.

Bobby looked back at them and smiled slyly, expectant of one holy row between his brother and sister-in-law. Feigning innocence he called to the couple. "Can I get you both a drink?" JR shook his head. "No thank you, Bobby, there's something that JR and I need to discuss, in private" Sue Ellen answered as she made her way to the foot of the stairs. Miss Ellie looked up at Bobby quizzically but didn't speak. Whatever now, she pondered as she accepted her glass from him.

JR followed Sue Ellen up the stairs and into what had been their bedroom. He was relieved to see that she had made no changes to the room, no sign evident that she was not contemplating him returning there at some point. "Darlin?" he asked, closing the door quietly behind him. She did not respond but merely moved to the chest of drawers at the far end of the room from which she took the envelope. Resisting the temptation to throw it at him, she walked towards him and then thrust the envelope in his hand instead.

"This came for me today" she told him. "Open it and tell me what you see, JR." He fumbled with the opening to the envelope, slightly frustrating her, before eventually sliding the photograph out and into view.

JR sighed. "Well?" she asked angrily. Staring at what was before him he didn't reply readily. "JR?" Tapping her foot, arms folded defensively, she asked him again. "What's the meaning of this?" He met her gaze, irritated that she was apparently unable to appreciate the obvious.

"It's a set- up, isn't it?" he countered. "Sue Ellen, have you actually looked at this photograph properly?" "Of course, I have! You and that Winger tramp back together! How could you?" JR shook his head. "Honey, please. Look at it carefully" he entreated her whilst at the same time admonishing himself for his own stupidity. He should have realised at the time that bumping into Mandy had been engineered.

She snatched the photo from him and studied it carefully. "All I can see is you and her, together. Oh, isn't it sweet? How she's stroking your arm, no doubt the pair of you arranging your next assignation!" "No, Sue Ellen" JR responded through gritted teeth. "Look, see that restaurant in the background? I had just come out of a luncheon meeting with Chris Mainwaring and a couple of his associates. If you don't believe me you can check although I would hope that you didn't feel the need to go that far. Then, look at Mandy and I. It takes no more than a couple of seconds for someone with the right speed of camera to get a shot like that. She touched my arm for the briefest of moments as I made it clear that I had to leave. It wasn't initiated by me and it wasn't welcome. Sue Ellen, you don't live in the world that I do. I've arranged this kind of trick many times before to get what I want in business. You just have to trust me when I say that a talented photographer can make a photo look pretty much however he wants."

Sue Ellen stared at her husband, suddenly uncertain of herself but too stubborn to admit it. "Finally, you need to consider the timing of the delivery of this. You and I have been getting on a lot better lately and that has been evident for all to see. I hope you do appreciate the effort I have put into the therapy. It's not been easy for someone like me to have to open up to a stranger about what makes me the person I am. I have been working really hard to recognise those aspects of my personality that trigger unwise, selfish behaviour and, while I would be the first to admit that I'm not there yet, I truly believe that I am making progress." Taking a deep breath, hoping for a more reasonable response, JR finished speaking.

Sue Ellen moved closer to him and touched his arm, feeling bad, conscious that everything he had just said made perfect sense. "I want to be able to trust you, JR, but you don't exactly have the best track record do you?" she told him. He shook his head. "No, honey, I don't but, this time, I am telling you the truth. Mandy doesn't interest me, not anymore. The only woman I want is the one standing in front of me right now."

Sue Ellen took a seat on the bed and patted the eiderdown for JR to join her. "Who do you think sent this?" she eventually asked, gesturing to the photograph. "Mandy? To cause trouble between us?" "She was involved for sure" JR responded "although I'm not exactly sure that she would have had the wit to think this up. No, there's somebody else at work here and I am pretty sure I know who." "Who?" Sue Ellen asked. JR paused before answering. "My little brother. Darlin, let's face it, Bobby's been in love with you from the start and what better way to wreck what you and I have been achieving recently than this? Making you believe that I am still involved with another woman."

Sue Ellen stared at him, suddenly feeling even guiltier for the way that she had been behaving with her brother-in-law, encouraging him to make moves on her to get back at JR, enjoying the attention, lapping up the jealousy that it was causing.

Downstairs, Bobby waited expectantly for an explosion of temper from upstairs. Puzzled by the fact that for the merest of moments he had only heard a moderately raised voice from Sue Ellen, he got up and poured himself another drink. He needed to hold his nerve, he told himself. The look on Sue Ellen's face during dinner had been telling. She was furious with JR and, any second now, given her feisty character, all hell would break loose.

Making polite, mundane conversation with his mother Bobby anxiously bided his time. Suddenly, movement on the stairs was heard followed by JR and Sue Ellen entering the living room, arm in arm, smiling. "Is everything alright?" Miss Ellie asked, confused. Bobby stared at JR and Sue Ellen. s. "Everything is just fine, mama" JR replied brightly. "Sue Ellen and I are getting on great and, from tonight, I shan't be needing the guest bedroom."

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 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. I do appreciate it. There might not be any more updates for a couple of weeks as I am going abroad on holiday as from next Saturday and I have loads of work to get through before then but the story will be back : )**


	265. Chapter 266

JR sat up in bed half-heartedly trying to read the book that he had started but failed to finish over the last couple of weeks. The decision by Sue Ellen to take him back had been on a knife edge and he knew it. In the immediate aftermath of Sue Ellen's confrontation over the photograph much soul-searching between the couple had taken place. Sue Ellen was torn, not over whether she believed him that the whole episode had been a set-up, but whether she might finally be able to trust him in the future.

Painful themes, including his dalliances with Julie Grey when they were courting and then engaged, were thrown in his face, at first in an angry manner then later by upset mixed with confusion. "If you love me why do you do these things?" was Sue Ellen's continuous refrain. Finally, exhausted by the conflict, reflective of the love that, deep down, she still felt for him and worn down by his supplication she had relented. One last chance, he was informed. "We either make a go of it this time or I walk away."

Their news was received by the rest of the family as something of a mixed picture. Miss Ellie was delighted as they had expected. Lucy was relieved that, at last, the trouble between her aunt and uncle, trouble that she didn't fully understand, was over. Bobby, however, reacted as JR and Sue Ellen had anticipated. Jumping from his seat, frustrated by his failure, he had stormed out of the house, driving away quickly and erratically.

Sighing at the transparency, blatancy even, of her youngest son's response Miss Ellie closed the evening by announcing that the rest of them needed a good night's rest. As she reached her bedroom door she had turned briefly to her son and daughter-in-law. "You need to think about a fresh start" she advised them. "I mean a truly fresh start, though it pains me to say it" she concluded despondently.

Looking up from his book as Sue Ellen exited the bathroom and walked towards the bed JR rapidly decided that tonight was not the night to push matters by making a physical move on her. He wanted to, particularly because she looked so sexy in a mid-length black silk nightgown, her hair casually tousled around her face and shoulders. Plus, it had been so long since they had made love, he reflected, Mexico having been the last such occasion. However, it had to be her decision, he determined. She had to make the first move and, if she did, it would be received gratefully and appreciatively by him.

As she got into bed Sue Ellen gazed at him. Ordinarily, when things were good between them, JR would sleep in the nude, preferring to lose anything that served as a barrier between his body and hers. Tonight, though, he was wearing a pair of pale blue pyjamas, the top two buttons of the shirt undone for comfort. He looked back at her almost shyly as she drew the sheet followed by the blanket over her.

"Do you mind if I carry on reading for a few more minutes?" he asked as she snuggled down beneath the covers, moving ever closer to him. "Yes, I do" she answered. He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry honey. I bet you are tired?" She shook her head. "No, JR, I need something and only you can give it to me. You're not the only one with certain needs. It's been a long time and I've missed it. Kiss me, please."

"Are you sure?" he asked, inwardly delighted, already becoming hard. She held out her arms to him, grasping the back of his hair as he leaned over her. Staring into her bright hazel eyes JR could no longer keep up the pretence. Bringing his lips ever closer to hers, his heart rate quickening, he told her he wanted her, always had and always would. Then they kissed, gently at first, but quickly with increasing passion.

When they broke, naturally and unforced, breathless from their efforts Sue Ellen sat up and obediently allowed him to lift her night gown over her head. JR gasped and then growled at the sight of her, near naked, a tiny pair of white lace panties providing her only cover. In return, she began unbuttoning his shirt. When she was done he quickly discarded the garment to the floor. By then she already had her hand down his pants, fondling him, stimulating him, making him groan softly in pleasure.

"Let's get these off, shall we?" he whispered, placing a finger down each side of her panties. Helping him she wriggled free and lay back, his cock still in her hand, as he set to work on her. She moaned as he stroked her gently before inserting his finger inside her, quickly making her wet which delighted him. She arched her back, letting him know that he was pleasing her. He placed his thumb over her clitoris as he carried on working on her. "Do it to me, JR" she commanded but he wasn't going to just yet. He wanted to make her come before he fucked her, insistent that she should enjoy herself just as much, if not more, than him.

Feeling her body stiffen, he carried on, this time thrusting his tongue into her mouth as well. Within seconds she was a shuddering wreck, clawing at his back, undone, over the edge. Before the waves of ecstasy were over he pushed his pants down, got on top of her and entered her, unable to restrain himself for a moment longer. He gasped at her warm, silky wetness, a sensation that he had almost forgotten much to his regret, and began thrusting.

"JR, yes!" she squealed, grasping his buttocks to draw him further inside her. Fearing that he would come way too soon, wishing to elongate the experience for both of them, he slowed down before withdrawing momentarily only to enter her once more immediately. "Sue Ellen, honey" he moaned, grabbing her hair in his hands and kissing her. "Say it, sugar" he demanded. "Fuck me, JR" she responded, giggling ever so slightly, the feel of him inside her delicious, taking her close to oblivion once again.

He began to thrust harder, pushing her to the limit before once again destroying her. Within seconds of her climax ending he could hold on no longer. "Sue Ellen" he grunted as he spilt inside her, bucking his hips to make certain that he had emptied himself totally.

For several seconds, they lay together before uncoupling and lying back. Panting from his exertions he drew her close to him and held her. "I love you, Sue Ellen" he told her. "I love you too, JR" she replied, no other words being more apposite right at that moment.

Tbc

 **Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Been on my holidays. Hope to update more regularly from now on : )**


	266. Chapter 267

Maggie looked up from her notes and allowed her spectacles to slide to the end of her nose enabling her to scrutinise the young couple sitting before her in greater detail. Sue Ellen was wringing her hands nervously or was it actually pent up frustration? JR had turned his back ever so slightly away from his wife, his irritation palpable.

Clearing her throat, the therapist started to speak. "JR, you need to explain why you have started off this session so angrily? Sue Ellen has just stated that you and she are back together, properly back together, and that is something you have always told me you wanted, so what's the hostility all about?"

JR tutted annoyedly, made to speak and then paused for several seconds as if to choose his words. Maggie waited patiently. She had seen snippets of this sort of behaviour before from him but never as graphically as now. "Neither of you understands how hard this is for me" he eventually started. "We walk in and within seconds you are gushing about our renewed, erm, intimate relationship, Sue Ellen, and then you ask her whether she has birth control sorted out this time! It's like I'm not here or I'm not entitled to a private life!" he protested.

Maggie nodded sympathetically although she was tempted to smile. JR Ewing was the typical Texan male, unwilling to disclose, reluctant to express his feelings, jealous of his privacy, the outward, public persona never allowed to drop to reveal his true self, she mused.

"We have discussed this before, JR. This is marital counselling so sex does feature. However, the fact is that nothing that is said within these four walls goes any further. You and Sue Ellen can express yourselves in complete safety and confidence here. I have been conscious that there have been two happy accidents for you if I can put it that way, but you must appreciate that a fourth baby so soon would undeniably place the pair of you under even more strain?"

Sue Ellen nodded and patted JR's hand gently. Deep down JR knew the therapist was right but, being treated as over-sexed and irresponsible with it, as he saw it, was downright annoying. He eventually harrumphed and then signalled to carry on.

"So, what prompted the reconciliation?" Maggie asked. Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I love him, that's all" she responded. "Alright, but you have told me that all along, haven't you? What changed?"

Sue Ellen paused, then smiled as the answer dawned on her. "Someone played a cruel trick on us, it was wicked really but, for the first time in ages when I took JR to task about it, I really did trust that he was telling me the truth and I suppose that was what prompted our reconciliation."

Maggie screwed up her nose in confusion but, before she could clarify, JR became much more animated and took over. Explaining in minute detail what had happened over the photograph of him and Mandy, how he figured it all out and then managed to convince Sue Ellen of his credibility he began to feel relieved.

Conscious of the sensitivity of what she was being told Maggie stopped writing and placed her pen, quite deliberately, on the table next to her. She knew that the Ewings had a great talent for ruthlessness and treachery when it came to achieving their goals but this was something else, she pondered. It was as if some sort of Greek Tragedy was being played out by the two rivalrous brothers, Sue Ellen caught in the middle, she mused. If it had been a play it would have been really quite entertaining but it wasn't. It was real and there were children involved as well, a family that was bound to be fractured one way or another, although her focus as a practitioner had to be on preserving the couple sitting with her together with the children that they had brought into the world.

When JR had finally finished speaking it was Sue Ellen's turn to say something. "My mother-in-law has urged us both to make a fresh start together. JR, I have shied away from reminding you of what your mama said that night, probably for fear of you thinking I have misinterpreted matters but…." Before she could finish JR shook his head vigorously. "Honey, I know what you're about to say and you're not wrong, you haven't misunderstood. Mama thinks we should get right away, have our own place, raise our children there and lose my little brother."

Maggie stared at them intently. They smiled at each other, as if a weight had been lifted from their respective shoulders. "I take it that you are in agreement then?" she enquired tentatively. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life" JR replied. "And you, sugar?" Sue Ellen smiled widely. "If we're to have any chance of making a success of this marriage we have to have our own home, don't we?"

"You lived away from Southfork once before if my memory serves to be correct?" Maggie asked. Sue Ellen and JR nodded. "Only for a couple of months" Sue Ellen informed her. "Yes, but that couple of months was the happiest time in my life" JR responded solemnly. "Really?" Maggie asked. "Please tell us why you felt that way?"

"I felt free for the first time ever. I would go to work but when I got back to the house I was free, not a straightjacket in sight. No reprimands for being five minutes late for cocktails, no searching questions from my father about how good business was or when we would produce a son and, finally, no Bobby. I had nothing and nobody to live up to. I just had my wife and child to enjoy spending time with. It was marvellous."

The great JR Ewing had gone from nought to sixty and then back again in the space of twenty minutes, Maggie thought as she observed JR's body language soften and him move closer to his wife. "If you had remained there and not returned to Southfork do you think that you would have still fallen in with Mandy?" the therapist asked, knowing it was a loaded question.

JR, however, was one step ahead of her. "It would be easy to say no, wouldn't it? And that might have been the case but, then again, it might not. What Sue Ellen wants to know, what I want to figure out, is why I do such things when really all I want is her and our children?"

Maggie nodded in approval. "Shall we see if we can get the answer, JR?" she asked.

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	267. Chapter 268

"Would you describe yourself as impulsive?" Maggie asked. JR frowned before responding. "No, I would say that I am the polar opposite. I never act without considering the consequences." "So, you considered the consequences of starting an affair before you began meeting up with Mandy?" "I did and I didn't. The truth is, and Sue Ellen I'm sorry if this is hurtful, that I never imagined that I would be found out. I thought I could just get away with it."

Sue Ellen fought hard to remain silent. If JR was ever going to change his ways for good he had to be honest, no matter how awful the truth was. "Do you regard yourself as invincible, JR?" JR nodded. "In many ways, yes. I have never failed to achieve my aims. However, I do realise that I have taken a massive risk this time with the one thing that means the most to me, my wife and family. I've been staring the failure of my marriage and the fracturing of my family in the face and it hasn't felt good."

Maggie nodded. Progress was being made with her somewhat awkward and truculent patient, albeit slow. "When you are in the midst of a business deal do you weigh up all the factors before going ahead?" JR almost laughed at what he felt was such an obvious question that it almost didn't deserve an answer.

"Of course, I do. I never run headlong into things where business is concerned. If I did Ewing Oil wouldn't be the thriving company that it is today." "So, why didn't you evaluate the pros and cons of entering an affair then?" Sue Ellen asked, breaking her silence, frustrated by her lack of understanding of his thought processes.

JR shook his head. "I don't know, sugar. I never meant to hurt you, honestly." Realising that she needed to re-focus their session to avoid the circular argument that she had become so accustomed to, Maggie decided to take control. "Tell Sue Ellen why you ended it rather than why you started it in the first place please?"

"Because I knew it was wrong, I knew I had no feelings for the woman. I wanted you and I didn't want to taint what we had, what we have, any further" JR replied. That's better, thought Maggie. What he was now saying was way more constructive and much more likely to form the gateway to a solution to the couple's problems.

"Do you think you realised that you can't have everything you want all the time?" JR nodded vigorously. "I have been so accustomed to doing things my way and on my terms, haven't I?" "Where do you imagine that has originated from?" JR paused although he knew the answer to the therapist's question.

"It goes back to me being a young boy, handed by my mama to my daddy for education in the oil industry. Basically, apart from that, nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to me. My wishes and feelings were irrelevant, the needs of my brothers taking precedence all the time. Therefore, I guess I just thought, well pardon the expression, fuck it. I will do whatever I want whenever I want."

"Is that attitude a solid foundation for a marriage?" Sue Ellen asked. "No, it isn't. Marriage is all about compromise, isn't it? Give and take. Honey, I know that all you do is give and pretty much all I do is take but I am going to be better, I promise."

"Right, that's a good place to stop. Well done both of you. Between now and next week I want you both to think about the power balance in your marriage. Give and take, whatever you want to call it, and then write a list of what you would like to see change in your marriage. We will discuss the lists at the next session."

As they entered the elevator Sue Ellen touched JR's hand fleetingly. "We can make this work, JR, if we both try really hard" she reassured him, causing him to smile. "Can I buy you lunch? We need to discuss how and when we are going to tell mama that we want to move out" he asked. "That would be lovely but I have an errand to run first. Shall we meet up in an hour?" "Fine. I'll go back to the office for a little while. Oil Barons' Club at one?" "I'll see you then."

As they walked out into the bright Dallas sunshine Sue Ellen touched his arm to hold him back and then kissed him firmly on the lips. "See you later" she told him, walking in the opposite direction, turning her head occasionally to watch as he headed towards where his car was parked.

After a few minutes of brisk walking she reached her destination, a small yet upmarket café and delicatessen. She knew what she was doing was wrong. Keeping secrets from her husband had caused problems between them before, had engendered jealousy and angry and irrational behaviour on his part, but the person she was there to meet was important to her.

She entered and took a seat at a quiet table in the corner. She ordered mineral water and coffee and waited, anxiously looking at her watch from time to time, fearing a last -minute change of heart. After ten minutes had elapsed she heard the door open and then shut again. Straining her neck to see who had just come in she sighed with relief.

The person looked briefly around before spotting her and then approaching. "Hello, I have missed you" Sue Ellen began nervously. "I have missed you too, Sue Ellen."

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	268. Chapter 269

Sue Ellen stood and kissed Pamela on the cheek. They then sat down, close to each other, attempting to remain discreet. "I was pleased to receive your letter" Sue Ellen began. "I made numerous attempts to contact you to no avail. I was even tempted to come into The Store to see if I could catch you at work but then I was afraid of upsetting you."

Pam grasped Sue Ellen's hand. "It's been very hard. I sank into a deep depression after I left Bobby and, for a time, I was very angry with you although I now know that I really didn't have any cause for that. I have only been back in work in the last few weeks but it is taking my mind off the divorce and keeping me busy" Pam explained, her face still etched with sadness, her frame thin and frail, significant weight loss all too evident.

Sue Ellen sighed. "I haven't told anyone about meeting with you here just as you requested but, as much as I value our friendship, keeping secrets from my husband isn't exactly a healthy state of affairs, is it?" Pam shook her head. "I know and I'm sorry but it's better this way at least for the time being, until the divorce is finalised."

"Have you reached a settlement?" Sue Ellen asked. Pam nodded. "Yes, well at least to the extent that I have decided to claim nothing. I don't want a penny from Bobby. It was never about money. I can manage perfectly well on my wage and being at Cliff's place lessens my outgoings."

A waitress approached and took Pam's order. "I can't stay too long. JR is meeting me for lunch at one." "So, you and JR are making a go of things then?" Pam asked. Sue Ellen nodded. "He confessed to me, about Mandy. We are having relationship counselling. That's where we have been this morning. JR is trying his best and I want to give him one final chance to put things right between us."

"It wasn't my doing, the admission I mean" Pam informed Sue Ellen. "It was Bobby who was threatening to tell you. That's when it all became so clear. He married me but remained infatuated with you." Sue Ellen took a sip of her coffee before responding. "I always thought that it was you who had given JR the ultimatum, on the evening that you left."

Pam shook her head. Pausing to allow her drink to be delivered she squeezed Sue Ellen's hand. "Whether rightly or wrongly I was going to keep the matter secret, for your sake, given that you were pregnant and I was satisfied that JR had ended whatever it was he had going on with Mandy Winger. Sue Ellen, I only warned JR because I knew that Bobby was intent on telling you, to split the two of you up. It was a horrible mess. You know I have never had any time for JR but I am glad that Bobby hasn't succeeded in ruining your marriage. He's the one who deserves to suffer."

Sue Ellen suddenly felt bad. Recalling how she had craved Bobby's attention in the recent past, how she had used him to get back at JR, to make her husband sad and jealous, she knew she wasn't the totally innocent bystander that Pam had decided she was. "Things haven't been great at Southfork since you left. JR and I now keep Bobby at a real distance. Dinner is a muted experience with nothing other than stilted, overly-polite conversation punctuated by awkward silences. We haven't told Miss Ellie yet but we are moving out, imminently."

"I think that's the right decision. It eliminates the possibility of Bobby trying to cause further trouble for you both. It's a pity that you decided to return to Southfork in the first place." Sue Ellen sighed. "Yes, I know but the rivalry between the two brothers at that time over Ewing Oil was intense and JR was afraid of Bobby becoming too influential over his daddy. Then, of course, in the immediate aftermath of Jock's death we had no choice but to stay. There was no way that Miss Ellie would have coped without us all there."

Pam gazed at her thoughtfully. "Did you ever think it strange that, even after marriage, Jock was reluctant to let his boys make their own homes for themselves? I mean, all of us under the same roof, it wasn't exactly a natural state of affairs, was it?" Sue Ellen nodded. "I know but what Jock wanted Jock got. Somehow nobody ever dared to say no to him."

"Let's change the subject" Sue Ellen suggested, conscious of her friend's sombre mood. "How is work?" Pam smiled gently. "It's good. You should come in. We have ordered some gorgeous stock for next season. Oh, and I am going to Milan for Italian Fashion Week in the autumn!" Sue Ellen smiled ruefully. She and Pam were similar in age but their lives couldn't be more different she mused. "That's so exciting" she responded encouragingly.

"Tell me about the children? I've missed them" "They are all fine, coming on in leaps and bounds. Ella is a little chatterbox and John Ross is such an active but easy-going little boy." "And Aaron? I read about his birth in the newspaper." Sue Ellen's expression changed. "I had a hard time at first bonding with him. I think it was a combination of shock and trauma with everything that had happened in the final stages of the pregnancy. Anyway, I love him to pieces now. He is a sweet little baby except when he is hungry. Then he bawls the house down!"

Pam smiled but with a tinge of sadness. "I loved being involved with them" she told Sue Ellen. "I envy you so much, having what I will never have." "I'm sorry. One day, things might be different. You'll meet someone else and possibly adopt?" Pam shook her head. "No, I'm done with marriage. I intend to focus on my career. Men do nothing but cause pain."

"Those sentiments will change over time, you know. You can't hold onto the hurt forever" Sue Ellen advised. "You are very beautiful with a kind and generous nature. One day you'll meet someone who will appreciate you, who you'll be happy with. Gosh, is that the time? I need to go, Pam, but I hope we will meet up again soon?"

Pam looked at her watch. "Come into The Store, we can go somewhere for a quiet lunch." As Sue Ellen stood to pay the bill a tall, handsome man approached their table. "Mrs Ewing?" he asked. The two young women stared at him. Then Sue Ellen remembered. "Oh, hello, how are you?" "I'm just fine. Please accept my congratulations on the birth of your son. I have been away on extended business in Europe for the last few months. I'm only just back in town" the man replied, turning his attention keenly to Pam.

"Where are my manners?" Sue Ellen asked. "Pamela is my sister-in-law, well my friend really. Pamela this is Mark, Mark Graison."

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	269. Chapter 270

Pam and Mark held each other's gaze for a few seconds before the latter held out his hand. His handshake was firm and masculine, she noted. He was also extremely attractive with the height and physique that she had always liked. "Hello, how do you do?" she responded politely. Sue Ellen watched them with interest. Was there more than a hint of a spark between them, she wondered as she made her excuses, anxious not to be late for her lunch date with JR.

Pam followed her out of the café. "Sue Ellen, how do you know him?" Pam asked, intrigued. "Oh, Jock and Mark's father went back a long way. Mark has been to a couple of parties at Southfork in the past. However, since his daddy's death he's been on the road learning all about the business he suddenly and unexpectedly inherited, a business that previously he'd had no enthusiasm for. It's called Graison Industries" Sue Ellen informed her. "You aren't interested in him are you, Pam?"

Pam giggled shyly. "He's quite handsome, isn't he?" Sue Ellen sighed. "Have you never paid attention to the society pages, Pam? Mark Graison is the eternal playboy. He has had so many girlfriends it's untrue. He isn't right for you" she responded forcefully. At that they exchanged a brief hug, promised to keep in touch and went their separate ways.

Suddenly, as she made to cross the street Sue Ellen felt a tap on her shoulder. "Mark?" she replied in surprise. "Sorry, Mrs Ewing, Sue Ellen, I'm not stalking you. I just wanted to know if your sister-in-law is still with Bobby? I kind of had the impression that they're not together anymore?"

"They are separated" Sue Ellen replied flatly. "Is there any chance of them resolving their differences?" Sue Ellen shook her head. "It's terminal, over. However, Mark, please don't think me impertinent when I tell you that it's early days for Pam. She's still getting over it and the divorce is not yet final. I think she needs more time and space, that is if I am not mistaken and you are interested in her?" "Of course, no harm in asking was there?" Mark answered brightly however there was a determination in his expression that unsettled Sue Ellen. "Please excuse me, I am running late for a lunch date with my husband." "Give my regards to JR. Goodbye Sue Ellen."

Seeing the light change Sue Ellen hurried across the road. If she put a march on she would only be a couple of minutes late for her husband, she calculated, still anxious about what had just occurred.

As he watched her enter the club, following the hostess to their table, JR rose, gentlemanly, to his feet. "I'm sorry I am a little late" Sue Ellen greeted him permitting him to kiss her on the cheek. "My errand took a little longer than I imagined." "Is everything alright?" JR asked worriedly. "Yes, everything is fine, JR. Women's business, that's all" she lied, patting his hand in reassurance.

As they accepted the menus and ordered their drinks Sue Ellen spotted Marilee approaching the table. "Oh no" she muttered under her breath. "Not that woman." "Hello, JR, Sue Ellen" Marilee began. "I haven't seen the pair of you out together for ages" she remarked pointedly, all too aware of the rumours that had been circulating recently about the state of their relationship.

"Why Marilee! You must be one of the few that isn't aware of our good news?" JR responded. "Sue Ellen has given me the gift of another son and has been rather busy of late. Three beautiful but young and demanding children do take up a lot of a mother's time, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" JR took Sue Ellen's hand in his and kissed the back of it pointedly, irritating Marilee no end. "Enjoy lunch" he finished sarcastically before turning his back to her to focus on his wife.

As Marilee stalked off to her table Sue Ellen giggled. "Thank you" she told JR. "You always know just how to put her down." "I have had years of practice!" JR joked. "Now, before we order I have something to show you." He produced from his inside pocket a neatly folded set of papers and passed them to her. "Read them on your lap" he told her, briefly touching her thigh to emphasise the point.

She carefully unfolded them and then gasped before checking herself. There would be certain eyes on them both, she calculated as she started to take in the content. "If we build a house on that land that mama gave us it's going to take months to complete, honey, and I don't want to have to be at Southfork for a moment longer. The real estate agent tells me that this place is available to rent right now. The owner is going abroad for at least six months. What do you think?"

Sue Ellen stared, wide-eyed, at the particulars of a mansion built in colonial style and situated in one of Dallas's finest suburbs. "It's beautiful, JR" she finally told him. "Well then? Do I say we are taking it?" "We should see it first" she suggested. "I already have and it's perfect in my opinion but of course, sugar, you should take a look. More than anything I want you to be happy."

Holding his glass up to her she took his cue and clinked hers against it. "Here's to us, to a new life" he toasted. "Cheers" she replied happily. Could this be it, she mused. Could this be the breakthrough that they needed for a more contented and settled future together?

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	270. Chapter 271

As she sipped her wine Sue Ellen's expression suddenly darkened. "We need to tell your mama" she informed JR. "If we are going to be moving out pretty soon then in fairness she needs to know." JR touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "I know, honey. I think she'll understand. She may be a little upset but she will come to terms with it. She realises that you and I need to start all over again. She also knows what Bobby is capable of. We will do it this evening, get it over and done with."

Sue Ellen nodded. JR was right but it was still upsetting to imagine the hole that their departure would create at Southfork. First Jock, then Pam and now the pair of them together with the children, all gone from Miss Ellie. She also worried about Lucy. The young girl had experienced nothing but loss in her life. She loved her younger cousins and having them around had certainly brightened up the household for her, Sue Ellen mused. She and JR would have to make a supreme effort to ensure that Lucy and Miss Ellie were regular visitors to their new home, she eventually resolved, trying to appease herself.

"Honey?" JR asked sensing his wife's worry. "I'm alright, JR. I know it is completely the right thing for us to do. It's just hard. Your mama has never been anything but good to me, she adores her grandchildren too. It's going to be tough on her and Lucy." JR nodded his head before responding, wishing to make sure that Sue Ellen felt he was listening to her. Then, grasping her hand, he spoke. "You do believe that this is what our family needs, don't you, sugar?" There was confidence and vehemence in his tone, not a scintilla of doubt, which reassured her slightly. "Yes, I do" she responded firmly. "It just doesn't make it any easier, that's all."

After lunch JR escorted her out into the street, his arm protectively wrapped around her waist. "Are you going straight home?" he asked her. Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes, I reckon your mama will probably be worn out by now!" "Don't say anything until I get home. We will do it together" he told her before planting a tender kiss on her lips. "I will phone the real estate agent when I get back to the office regarding a viewing. No time like the present."

She watched him stride confidently down the street in the direction of the Ewing building before starting her walk to where her car was parked. She pondered on the dilemma she was in about Pam. She knew that JR was unlikely to be impressed with her for bringing Pam back into her life. However, JR wasn't the sort of person to need friends. She was and, after her marriage, she had lost touch with the vast majority of her college friends, those that she had managed to remain in contact with being confined to the exchange of Christmas cards. After Pam had come to Southfork she had enjoyed having another female close to her in age to chat to about the things they had in common.

She contemplated what she and her then sister-in-law had been through together- Jock's death and its terrible aftermath for the family was but one example. She shuddered briefly as the memory of that fateful afternoon when the female members of the family had been held to ransom came to mind and reflected on the way that she and Pam had clung on to each other, fearing brutal assault. Finally, it had been Pam who had stepped in to care for her children when she was incapacitated herself, providing the little ones with love and support at a time when their own mama couldn't.

She just wished that JR would understand all of that and allow her to meet up and socialise with Pam every now and again. However, as bad as she felt for lying to him, she knew that if she told him the truth of what she wanted it would only be likely to cause a dispute between them and she really didn't want that right now that things were looking up for them as a couple.

Half an hour later and she was home, if that was what she could call it now that the die was cast and she and JR would be leaving. As she walked onto the patio she smiled to see Miss Ellie sitting with Ella and John Ross on a large rug. Ella was completing a jigsaw, her grandmother praising her for putting the pieces in the right places. John Ross had a stacking toy, building it up only to knock it down with glee as Miss Ellie feigned surprise at his actions. She looked over to the pram, parked in the shade, sun umbrella over a sleeping Aaron, his arms raised above his head, his tiny hands curled into fists. This is what she and JR would be taking away from her mother-in-law she mused sadly before forcing herself into a smile so as not to alert Miss Ellie to the fact that there was anything wrong.

"Hello, Sue Ellen. Look mama's home!" Miss Ellie greeted her. Scooping John Ross into her arms and stroking the top of Ella's head gently, Sue Ellen asked how things had been. "They have been as good as gold, haven't you?" Miss Ellie informed her. "How has your morning been?" "Good thank you. I hope you don't mind that I joined JR for a light lunch at the Oil Barons' Club afterwards?"

Miss Ellie beamed, pleased to know that her son and daughter-in-law appeared to be patching things up between them. "Of course not!" she responded. "I love spending time with these three little angels. Anyway, you've hardly been out since Aaron came along. It must have been a pleasant change for you?"

"It was" Sue Ellen replied but there was a solemnity to her voice that alarmed Miss Ellie. "Is everything alright, dear?" she asked anxiously. Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes, everything is just fine, thank you" she lied. It was going to be much harder than JR expected to break the news that they were leaving, she concluded sadly.

tbc


	271. Chapter 272

Miss Ellie received the news of JR's and Sue Ellen's imminent departure from her home, their home, with sad resignation. She knew that it was the right thing for them to do, their time at Southfork having been tainted by her inability, anybody's for that matter, to control Bobby. If Jock had not died things would probably have been very different, she concluded. Bobby wouldn't have come back and her husband would have ensured that their household and the business continued to function. Now, she was staring at a family fractured by jealousy, covetousness and greed. For a split second, she had contemplated bargaining with them- Bobby would be the one to leave, like last time, but realised that it was far too late for that. The damage had been done. Her son and daughter-in-law, JR in particular, would never gamble their future happiness on what would represent in his eyes an unsatisfactory compromise.

JR and Sue Ellen had viewed the rental property and jointly concluded that, for the time being, it was perfect for theirs and their family's needs. With the lease signed they were free to move in whenever they wanted and JR was keen to move quickly.

Sighing at the trunks and boxes neatly packed and waiting for removal Miss Ellie tried to cheer herself up with the thought that that was not the only thing that JR was moving fast about. He had employed one of Dallas's best architects to design the house that was to be built a couple of miles away, still on Southfork land, and was in the process of agreeing what would be a lucrative contract with a reputable, local builder's firm. To be moved in by the early part of the following year, at the latest, was the agreement eventually reached and JR was determined to make the builders stick by that or face significant financial penalties.

Completing the process of excising Bobby from their lives JR's attention had also turned to Ewing Oil. The reality was that Bobby was hardly at the office these days and, when he was, the atmosphere between the brothers could hardly be said to be conducive to future growth and prosperity. JR was running the company, that was the truth of the matter, and now it was becoming imperative to cut Bobby out.

After a blazing row at the office one evening after the staff had gone home, started by a barbed comment from Bobby about JR's and Sue Ellen's impending move, JR had thrust a file in his brother's hand. "It's an independent valuation of the company" JR barked before Bobby had time to open it. "I'm offering to buy your share quickly and at a very fair price. I want you out little brother, out of my life and Sue Ellen's, for good!"

"Huh? You wouldn't be able to finance my thirty per cent!" Bobby countered, annoyed by the fact that JR always seemed to be several steps ahead of him. "Oh, don't you worry about that. Everything's in place. You can have a banker's draft by close of business tomorrow, all that money to do whatever you like with. If you fancied it you could start your own company, go into competition with me, that's if you have the stomach for it!"

"I need time to study these figures and think" Bobby retorted. "You can have until the end of the week. You know this makes sense. I'm Ewing Oil, not anybody else. There's no place for you here" JR responded, before picking up his Stetson and leaving. "Good evening, Bobby. I'm meeting Sue Ellen for dinner in town" he remarked pointedly before making his way to the elevator.

Stung by their exchange Bobby threw the file across the office and poured himself a stiff drink. He made to sit but then had second thoughts about what had just transpired between himself and his brother. He walked over, picked up the file and opened it. Studying the figures carefully he quickly appreciated that the bottom line, the value of his share of the company, was probably on the nail. Whatever JR was like, however bad he could be, his offer appeared to be a reasonable one, designed to get rid of him as quickly as possible with no need for haggling and no opportunity to build in delay.

He imagined JR meeting Sue Ellen at some swanky restaurant that she favoured, greeting her with a kiss and then recounting proudly what had just occurred between the two brothers. He felt angry, angry with his brother for always thwarting him and then angry with himself for allowing it to happen.

Perhaps that's what he needed just as much as JR, he pondered. A fresh start, possibly in Dallas, possibly somewhere else. It wasn't like he was going to win Sue Ellen over anymore. She hardly looked at him let alone spoke to him these days, preferring to concentrate on her unfaithful, feckless husband instead. He recalled the painful attempt he had at trying to speak to her about the house move the previous day having caught her unexpectedly at the stables. "Sticking plaster, that's all it is" he told her as she made to walk away from him, dismissing him with her hand before pausing impetuously to listen to the rest of what he evidently had to say. "Sue Ellen, you and I both know it. Your marriage won't last, JR won't remain faithful to you, he doesn't have it in him. Well, I'm happy to wait until you have left him for good. Just remember that. I can wait."

Sue Ellen hadn't told JR what Bobby had said to her, fearful of the consequences. Instead, she had decided to encourage her husband in his scheme to cut Bobby effectively out of their lives, to marginalise him so significantly that he wouldn't be able to do any more damage to them as a couple.

Listening to JR attentively in Scalini, a wave of relief washed over her. She had a husband who was clever, decisive and proactive. Everything now appeared to be falling into place. There was a new life waiting for them and their children, it was out there and, now, within their grasp.

Tbc

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing. Been busy at work hence the lack of updates. Sorry about that : )**


	272. Chapter 273

"We move on Wednesday" Sue Ellen told Pam as they enjoyed lunch at a little-known restaurant well out of the centre of the city. Pam noted a tinge of sadness in her friend's voice as she spoke. Southfork, after all, had been Sue Ellen's home for a considerable time, she mused. Apart from college and the brief separation between her and JR life on the ranch had pretty much been her entire experience as an adult.

"You sound sorry?" Pam asked, taking a small sip of wine. Sue Ellen sighed. "I am, in a number of ways. Primarily, I'm sorry for Miss Ellie and Lucy. Lucy was very upset when she was told about us going. Miss Ellie was too, although she tried her hardest not to show it. Plus, I will miss the place. That said though, there is something exciting about the idea that we will have our own place, just us as a family. Then, later, we will be back on Southfork land in a house that has been built entirely to our specifications, a fresh start, for us and the children" Sue Ellen responded. "That's right" Pam told her.

"You look nice today. I mean you always look nice but that outfit really suits you" Sue Ellen complimented Pam. There was something about the young woman that day that was difficult to identify. She just looked fresher, happier, better in herself.

"Thank you, Sue Ellen. It's a sample from The Store, a new line that they have been having us girls wearing, just to test the market" Pam replied, smiling. Somehow, she had always compared herself unfavourably to her taller, more elegant former sister-in-law and it meant a good deal to her to receive favourable comment about her appearance from her.

Pam then leaned in conspiratorially. "I've worn this today not just for our lunch date but because I'm out for dinner later too. Sue Ellen..." she placed her hand on her friend's excitedly. "I've been seeing somebody and it's all down to you!" Sue Ellen paused thoughtfully and then knew. "It's Mark Graison isn't it? That day we met up and I introduced you he followed me into the street asking questions about you. Did he go on and get in touch?"

"He came into The Store. He knows the general manager. The next thing I knew I was being sent up to menswear to help "an important customer" to pick a tie! It was all a ruse of course but as I learned subsequently Mark is something of a mover and shaker in Dallas. What he wants he tends to get."

"Phew!" Sue Ellen exclaimed. "He does have something of a reputation, as I told you. Pam, he's had hundreds of women in his time and never shows any sign of settling down. Be careful there, that's all I am saying. So, how many times have you seen him?" "This will be our third date. First of all, he took me for lunch, a champagne picnic in the park. It was perfect because it felt so relaxed. We just chatted endlessly about the things we like to do, things we did when we were younger. I felt very comfortable in his presence."

"And then?" Sue Ellen asked, intrigued. "Dinner, but not in Dallas. He flew me in his private jet to Austin where we dined in a wonderful, romantic little Italian restaurant. Towards the end I got a little bit worried that he would expect me to stay the night there with him, that he might have booked a room in a hotel. However, he was the perfect gentleman. As soon as the meal was over he took me straight back home."

"Did you…?" "Kiss? Yes, we did and, for the first time in ages I felt alive again." Sue Ellen smiled widely, happy for Pam but then she suddenly felt somewhat concerned. "So, it's your third date tonight then. There may be a certain expectation you know." Pam blushed ever so slightly. "A hope on his part perhaps but, so far, Mark has been the perfect gentleman and I trust him. "

"I mean if you're ready then fine?" Sue Ellen enquired gently. She and Pam went far back enough for her to realise that she wasn't overstepping the mark when it came to discussing sex. Pam shook her head. "Not yet, perhaps soon, if things continue to go well between us. I think he will understand. I do find him very attractive though. He is handsome, isn't he?"

Sue Ellen nodded. "Very and that, with his wealth, is why he's never had difficulty with women." She hoped that Pam wasn't falling too quickly for the charms of one of Dallas's biggest playboys only to be let down. "I know and I am being realistic. It's just nice for once to have a man who is genuinely interested in me, who likes me for who I am despite the fact that I'm not rich and a divorcee to boot."

"Well I hope you have a wonderful date, you deserve to be happy after all you have been through and, if it works out, I can rest in the knowledge that I had a tiny part to play in bringing you together!" They smiled at each other and then carried on eating.

"What has Bobby had to say about your move?" Pam enquired between mouthfuls. Sue Ellen sighed. "He was very negative about it, told me in terms it wouldn't fix my marriage and, when it all went wrong, he'd be there waiting. Pam, I'm sorry, you do know that don't you?" Pam nodded. "It's all majorly weird, isn't it? If I had known how he really felt I'd never have married him but, at the time, when we ran away together and got married in secret, it all felt so real, so deep, so true."

"I honestly thought when he brought you back to Southfork that he'd moved on, that the crush, as I deemed it to be, was over because he'd finally found the right woman. I was pleased for him, you must believe me. It was a relief as well" Sue Ellen replied, keen for her friend to understand. "Anyway, it's done and now, for the first time in ages I have something to look forward to when I get out of bed in the morning. I have Mark."

Tbc

 **Sorry for the lack of updates this week. Been majorly busy at work : )**


	273. Chapter 274

JR entered the bedroom and almost tripped over a packing box lined up neatly on the floor. "Damn!" he exclaimed as he steadied himself, prompting Sue Ellen to emerge from the bathroom. "JR?" she enquired "are you alright?" "The sooner we move the better" he answered gruffly. "We can't move for all of this."

Sue Ellen approached him. "Hard day?" she asked. "Yes honey, but all will be better soon, once the takeover is finalised and my little brother is out of my hair. I swear he only comes into the office to goad me, remind me that he still has a thirty per cent share, because he certainly doesn't get anything done."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and studied her carefully. She was wearing a black silk teddy, her hair and make-up already done for dinner. The sight of her aroused him, a glint forming in his eye together with that wicked smile she knew only too well. "JR, it's almost time for dinner" she told him. "We can't be late on one of our final nights. It would look disrespectful to your mama."

Ignoring her he slipped his finger under one of the straps of her teddy, letting it fall from her shoulder. Then he began kissing her neck and shoulder, working his way up to her lips. "JR" she murmured, trying not to fall under his spell. "Come on honey, I need you" he whispered back to her. "It will help relieve my tension. We can make it quick."

She succumbed to him, permitting him to carry her to the bed where he placed her gently down before releasing himself from his trousers and taking her. Once satiated he kissed her and then lay on his back, grasping her hand in gratitude. Their recent plans for a new life and his willingness to unburden himself in their relationship counselling sessions had re-invigorated their marriage, he reflected. More than that though, the control that Sue Ellen had allowed him over all their future plans told him that she trusted him, believed in him and was prepared to go along with him in the creation of a new future together.

Sue Ellen sat up suddenly. "JR, I need to talk to you about something" she began. "I know we're in a bit of a rush now but I can't wait any longer." "Honey?" he asked worriedly. "Is everything alright?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Of course it is, I'm happy, JR and I think you are too. However, I have been keeping something from you and I don't feel comfortable about it, not when I know how keeping secrets from each other has affected our marriage in the past."

JR made to stand, adjusting his pants as he did so. He stared at his wife, still flushed from what they had just been doing, beautiful but obviously troubled. "I've been seeing Pam" she informed him. "What for?" he immediately countered, annoyed. "Because she is my friend and I have missed her. JR, I know that you have never needed personal friendships but I do. At college I had lots of friends. When we got married I lost touch with most of them and, to be honest, I did miss that part of my life. When Pam joined the family I suddenly had someone my own age to talk to and spend time with. We really bonded though after your daddy died, when we had to pull together for the sake of the whole family. Our meeting up has been totally harmless, I respect the fact that you probably wouldn't welcome her visiting our home, but the occasional lunch or coffee in town can't possibly be of any harm, can it?"

JR paused. Until now he had believed that Pamela Barnes was out of their lives for good and that had pleased him. The reality was that he hated the young woman, not just because of her identity, but also because she had the uncanny ability to give as good as she got where he was concerned. He had tolerated his wife's friendship with her when she was part of the same household but now, when things were so different, when she was on the verge of divorce from his brother and had no need to remain connected to them, the thought of an ongoing friendship between her and Sue Ellen irritated and unsettled him.

"Sue Ellen, there's always the DOA if you need some lady friends to socialise with. Once we are settled in our new home you could re-join them, become active like you used to be. I'm sure it would please mama too" he entreated. Sue Ellen shook her head. "One day I will go back to the DOA but, JR, the vast majority of its members are thirty years older than me and those who are nearer to my age, Marilee for example, are total bitches!" she protested.

Realising that their conversation was becoming increasingly terse and wanting to avoid a full-blown argument JR decided to adopt the advice of their therapist and compromise. "Alright then, sugar, as long as it's only the occasional outing in town, if it pleases you, I can live with that." Her expression immediately brightened. "Thank you so much for understanding me!" she told him, reaching for a wrap dress from her closet. "Guess what? Pam's got a new man…."

In town Pam waited for the arrival of her date. Nursing a Martini at the bar of one of Dallas's newest and most fashionable venues, she took out her make-up mirror and inspected her face and hair anxiously. After her lunch date with Sue Ellen she had returned to work. At the end of her shift she had popped in impulsively to her usual hairdresser's salon and asked if there was space in the diary for her to get a blow-dry. Thirty minutes later she had emerged looking and feeling fabulous. She didn't have a lot of spare cash these days but she contented herself with the knowledge that looking her best for Mark helped her confidence and was, therefore, justified.

"Good evening" Mark greeted her as he took a seat next to her at the bar. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting?" He glanced nervously at his watch, worried that he was ungentlemanly late for her. Pam shook her head. "No, I was early. Good evening, Mark." "You look fabulous" he told her, relieved that she wasn't cross with him. "Thank you" she replied, pleased that he had noticed the effort she had gone to.

Mark gestured to the bar man and ordered a beer. "And for the lady?" he asked. "A beer would be good, thank you" she responded shyly. The truth was that expensive wines and cocktails had been something that she had learned to order after becoming a member of the Ewing family as that was the seemly thing for a lady to do. However, some of Pam's best nights had been in local bars, drinking beer and eating burgers before taking to the dancefloor for the Texas Two-Step. Now, she was done with appearance and pretence. Sue Ellen slid easily into the expectations of the Ewing family and was fine about it. She was different though. Mark could take her as she was or leave her, she decided.

Mark chuckled. "I have always loved a girl who isn't afraid to shun the straightjacket of the norms of Dallas society." Pam blushed, followed by Mark, embarrassed by his impetuous choice of the word "love". Afraid of making her feel rushed he quickly moved to the topic of where they should go that evening, there having been no set plans because there didn't need to be. Mark knew that he could get a table at pretty much any club or restaurant in the city.

"I don't know how you would feel about it but what about an old-fashioned Texan bar?" Pam suggested. Mark smiled widely in response. "We're a bit over-dressed but to hell with it!" he replied. "That sounds like an excellent idea!"

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	274. Chapter 275

Bobby's absence from the dinner table came as something of a relief to JR and Sue Ellen. Whenever he was present of late the mood and atmosphere changed in the household. Conversation became stilted and awkward and the two brothers just couldn't seem to stop themselves from the odd barbed comment, prompting dismay from Miss Ellie and Sue Ellen and confusion for Lucy.

"I don't understand why you're moving out?" Lucy began as the main course was served. For a while the young girl had avoided the topic, sad but resigned to the fact that her uncle and aunt would be leaving, albeit not to go far, with her cousins. She loved her little cousins, spending much of her free time in their company, playing with them, laughing at their antics and enjoying observing them as they grew and developed.

"I mean, why can't Bobby move out if you and he can't get along together, uncle JR?" she asked. JR sighed. "There's five of you and only one of him now that Pam's gone. I really just don't understand! Grandma?"

It was Miss Ellie's turn now to sigh. "Lucy, what's done is done. We can't keep going over it. Your uncle and aunt want to have their own house, they probably always did and now the argument between your uncles has provided the incentive for them to get on and do it. There's no going back I am afraid."

Lucy pushed her plate away from her in frustration. "Lucy" Sue Ellen intervened. "You and your grandma can come and visit us whenever you like. Our door will always be open. You can stay over too at weekends and school holidays, spend more time with your cousins. Plus, we will still come here to ride the horses and celebrate special occasions. It isn't going to be anything like as bad as you imagine. Now, honey, eat your dinner."

Upset yet still hungry Lucy complied with her aunt's request and resumed eating. Realising that she needed to change the subject Miss Ellie began talking about the DOA's new project. "It's for children in the care system. We're fundraising to ensure that every child who is being looked after by the State gets a decent present for Christmas. I'm very excited about it."

"I wish I could come back to the DOA but with the children to look after it's difficult to make such a regular commitment. Perhaps when they are a little bit older?" Careful not to refer to the move or the building of the new house, which would only serve as a prompt for another outburst from her niece, Sue Ellen decided to keep this new, less controversial topic of conversation on track. Soon, she was relieved to imagine, these forced, polite conversations over dinner would be a thing of the past. There would only be JR and her and then later on their children at the table and she was confident that the atmosphere in their household would be much more convivial. She remembered the days after JR had joined her and Ella at the townhouse. He would come in after work and, as soon as the door had shut behind him, all thoughts of business or family problems were gone for the day. It had been bliss and this is how she now excitedly imagined the future.

"You see, Lucy, some children are far less fortunate than you are" Miss Ellie explained. "For some, the teenagers living in residential homes in particular, don't have much to look forward to at Christmas." Lucy harrumphed in response. Why did her grandma care about others when her own family was in such disarray? She'd never get involved with the DOA when she was older, she resolved to herself, it was pathetic and boring.

"So, Sue Ellen, this year's rodeo is going to be in aid of the DOA's Christmas gift project. I know you are very busy but I was hoping you could give me a little bit of a hand? You're always so good with things like catering and decoration and I reckon that the turn-out this year will be big." Sue Ellen nodded. "Of course, I'll do whatever I can, Miss Ellie" she replied politely. There hadn't been a rodeo at Southfork since Jock had died. Could this be a sign that her mother-in-law was finally getting on with her life, that her grieving was lessening over time? She hoped so.

In town Mark and Pam were dancing. They had found a traditional Country and Western bar which was lively and vibrant. At first, the regulars watched the couple with suspicion. They were obviously well-heeled and didn't seem the type to frequent such a place. However, within minutes, the man had charmed the waitresses and the young couple appeared relaxed and friendly.

"It's a long time since I have done anything like this" Mark commented, raising his voice to be heard above the music, enjoying the feel of Pam in his arms. "Are you enjoying yourself?" Pam asked. "I sure am, mind you I could be anywhere with you and have a good time. You're not like the women I normally meet, Pam, you're different." "You mean I'm normal!" Pam giggled. "Not like the fine, snooty ladies who tend to move in the same circles as you!" "I think you're right"" Mark laughed. "I'm tired of having to wine and dine women in fancy places, to show off, to impress them with my wealth and position, knowing, in reality, that's the only reason that they are with me in the first place." "Well, I wouldn't exactly say that!" Pam responded, looking up at his fine features and attractive, wide smile.

Not wanting to appear too pushy, yet knowing that he was falling hard for the soon-to-be ex Mrs Ewing, Mark twirled Pam round the dancefloor towards their booth. "Come on, let's have a drink? Our food will be here soon!"

Across town, Bobby was drowning his sorrows at the Oil Barons' Club. Nothing seemed to be going right for him these days, he reflected sadly. JR had won- over Sue Ellen, the company, everything. By contrast he was alone, lonely, bored and aimless. He was about to be paid a fortune for his share in Ewing Oil but hadn't the first idea what to do with the money. Starting his own company would be the obvious way to go but the truth was he possessed neither the experience nor the confidence to see it through. Perhaps he should go travelling for a few months, use the time to figure out where his life should be heading?

He ordered another Scotch before swilling down the remains of the glass that he already had in his hand. He'd leave it another half an hour before ordering a cab home, he decided. That way, the family would be bound to be in bed by the time he got back. He was in no mood for conversation or confrontation for that matter.

He didn't notice the woman who had sidled up next to him at the bar, so consumed as he was by his thoughts. "Hello Bobby." Bobby looked up immediately. "Jenna! I can't believe it's you?"

tbc


	275. Chapter 276

"How are you?" Bobby asked Jenna, amazed to see her, looking just as she always did, beautiful, confident and determined. "I'm fine thank you. I'm just back in town for a short trip. There are some of my father's affairs to deal with, loose ends that needed tying up" she explained. "And then what? Back to Europe?" Jenna shook her head. "No, that chapter is closed now. The truth is that I have no idea where we are going to end up. Anyway, you know me. I always seem to fall on my feet."

Bobby gestured to the barman. "We?" he queried. "White wine please" Jenna asked before continuing. "My daughter, Charlotte. Well I call her Charlie for short." Bobby gasped. "You've been married?" Jenna's expression immediately changed. "Yes, to an Italian who turned out to be not very nice at all. Anyway, it's over, I'm divorced and in search of a new life."

"Ditto" Bobby responded. "That's what I've just been contemplating, the future and what I should do with it." "I heard that you were married?" Jenna asked, knowing that wasn't exactly the whole story, some of the oil barons present that evening having been only too quick to tell her that her former fiancé was soon to be back on the market. Bobby nodded. "Was is the operative word, the divorce is about to be finalised." "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She's a lovely girl but it just didn't work out" he lied, taking a sip of his scotch. "And how are the family? I heard about what happened to your daddy and I'm sorry." Bobby sighed sadly. "The truth is that nothing has really been the same since daddy's been gone. JR and his wife are on the cusp of moving out of Southfork to a home of their own. They have three young children now." Bobby was conscious of the fact that he was sugar-coating the truth about the problems in his family, particularly the root cause of them, however that evening he was in no mood for difficult disclosures. Sitting with Jenna, his first love, just chatting and reminiscing made for a pleasant change from the atmosphere that reigned at home.

"Wow! I thought that JR would never settle down!" Jenna exclaimed. "His wife must be one hell of a lady?" Bobby nodded, perhaps a little too vigorously, Jenna noted. "Do you have a good relationship with her?" Bobby sighed. "Not really, it's a long story. She's a good person and an excellent mother but being tied to my brother and his ways hasn't exactly made things easy." Content with his explanation, Jenna sipped her wine before telling Bobby all about her adventures in Europe. He listened attentively as she described the range of jobs she had taken to get by before meeting the man who would become her husband, Naldo, the playboy she reckoned she could tame, the one who would give her the lifestyle she craved, only to be let down and hurt by his cruelty and utter disregard for her feelings.

"I'm sorry I just up and left" she finished. "I just felt trapped, I needed fresh air, we were way too young to be dragged down by the expectations of our families, at least that's how I saw it. I have thought about you, though, a lot over the years, wondering what you were doing and who you were with…" Bobby smiled ruefully. "You broke my heart, Jenna, at the time, but you're right, we were too young and it probably wouldn't have turned out well if we had gone ahead and married." His thoughts immediately turned to Sue Ellen. How would he have felt when she came on the scene as JR's girlfriend, he wondered. Would marriage to Jenna have affected his feelings, inhibited his attraction to Sue Ellen? Probably not, he concluded before changing the subject back to Jenna's exploits on the Continent.

On the other side of town Mark's limousine had just pulled up outside Cliff's condo. Mark exited the vehicle and held his hand out to Pam. All the way home, sitting on the back seat together, they had kissed, gently and shyly at first but then, heady with each other's company and the fun time they had, more passionately.

Mark walked Pam across the street and up the steps to the front door. "Thank you, Mark. I've had a marvellous time" Pam told him, gazing into his eyes before lifting her head to deliver a final kiss. Mark pulled her into his arms and lifted her slightly off her feet. It would be so easy, she thought, to let him inside, to take things further. She was young and she missed the pleasure that accompanied being with a man, especially one as handsome as Mark.

As their lips met, Mark's hand caressing the back of her neck as they kissed, Pam could feel herself falling, giving in. Suddenly, though, reason took over. As they broke the kiss and she placed her key in the lock, Mark all too keen to get over the threshold, she pushed him back gently with the palm of her hand. "It's not that I don't want to, Mark" she explained. "It's just a little too soon for me. I'm not divorced yet and I can't afford to be burned again. I hope you can understand?"

Mark nodded. "Yes of course, Pam. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you. It's just that I find you so attractive but, more than that, I really like you and I just enjoy being with you so much. I apologise for being ungentlemanly. I'd never wish to hurt or take advantage of you." "I know and I really like being with you but, before we can take things to the next level, I need time. I've been through quite a lot and it wasn't easy for me to walk out on my marriage, to admit I'd failed" Pam responded.

"I can wait" Mark told her with determination and sincerity in his voice. "Like I said earlier, I've never met anyone quite like you. It will be worth the wait." Kissing her hand and promising to call her, Mark watched as she went indoors and closed the door behind her. Previously, if a girl had rejected his advances, he would simply move on, leave the woman behind in favour of one who would give him what he wanted, he reflected. Now though, things were so different.

Tbc


	276. Chapter 277

JR stood silently in the doorway to the master bedroom of the house that he and Sue Ellen had rented. He watched as Sue Ellen methodically unpacked and put away some of the vast array of her clothing and shoes into the walk-in closet. Pleased to see her smiling and quietly humming to herself he decided to make his presence known.

"Good evening, darlin" he greeted her. She looked up from what she was doing and smiled warmly. "Good evening, JR, you're back early?" JR nodded. "I promised you only that one meeting with Harv concerning the takeover and I'd be back. I can't leave all of this to you, can I sugar?" Sue Ellen paused what she was doing, stood up straight, hands on hips, and looked around the room. They had used the services of professional removers but their considerable personal possessions could only really be unpacked by them. Packing and hanging cases covered most of the floor of the large room that was, for the time being, going to serve as the marital bedroom.

"It's going to take more than just a few hours to get through all of this" she told him. "Then there is dinner to think about…" "Where's the housekeeper?" JR asked, perplexed. "She doesn't start until tomorrow. The children have been fed already. They are being bathed and made ready for bed. We'll need to look in on them shortly."

JR moved gingerly across the room to the French window and looked outside. The pool glimmered in the late evening sun, framed by a beautifully tendered lawn. Carefully selected plants and shrubs added colour and texture to the garden. JR smiled to himself. It wasn't Southfork with its vast acres of land and wide- open spaces but it was a lovely property and he was sure that he and his family would be happy there whilst their new house was built.

Sue Ellen looked up briefly and read his thoughts. "You did well finding this place, JR. I think the children will be very happy here" she told him. JR walked back to where she was standing, poring through a box of sweaters placed on the bed. He put his hands around her waist and cuddled her into him, inhaling her scent as he did so. "Not now" she admonished him, attempting to free herself from his grasp. Her reluctance only increased his ardour. Kissing the nape of her neck he sent shivers down her spine. "That feels good, doesn't it honey?" he asked, turning her to face him, meeting his lips with hers before manoeuvring her onto the bed.

She moaned lightly in response, her mind telling her to resist, her body telling her otherwise. She loved him, she loved being with him and, now, in a place of their own, subject to the whereabouts of the children, there was no longer any need to be coy about showing each other affection. Breaking their kiss, he gazed into her eyes. "Isn't this nice?" he asked her. "Hmm hmm" she murmured, musing on how much more natural it felt, just the two of them and their children, like most normal families.

They closed their eyes for a few moments and relaxed into each other's arms. "Mama, daddy!" Ella exclaimed, entering the bedroom followed by her younger brother. JR and Sue Ellen sat up quickly to attend to their daughter and son. "Say, Ella, John Ross, do you like our new house?" JR asked. John Ross nodded confidently, Ella looked troubled. "I want grandma" she told her parents. Scooping her up onto the bed JR kissed his little girl on the cheek. "You'll see grandma real soon" he told her. "Shall we invite her and Lucy over for tea? Lucy can play in the pool with you both." John Ross smiled and clapped his hands. "There's a pool at home" Ella responded solemnly.

"This is home now, sweetie" Sue Ellen told her daughter. "But we'll still see grandma and Lucy lots. Come on now, time for bed." There was no point making their daughter's homesickness even more of a drama, Sue Ellen calculated. Remaining matter of fact and calm was the only way to go although she noted that her husband looked somewhat concerned. Taking her children by the hand she led them down the corridor to their room, glancing behind her to ensure that JR was following.

Aaron was being changed into his pyjamas. Upon seeing his parents, he smiled and squealed excitedly. When the nanny was done she passed the baby boy to Sue Ellen who snuggled his tiny frame into her body before sitting down on the rocking chair with him. She held him, the child that she hadn't wanted at first but now loved and cherished just as much as her older two, and rocked him gently, sleep capturing him within minutes.

JR tucked Ella and then John Ross into their beds and began reading them a story. John Ross rubbed his eyes, exhausted, but Ella listened intently to the story, watching her father as he turned over the pages until she eventually succumbed.

Placing Aaron gently into his cot and covering him over, the couple quietly withdrew and closed the door behind them. "Sue Ellen?" JR asked as they descended the stairs. "We have done the right thing, haven't we?" Sue Ellen took his hand. "Yes, we have, definitely, JR" she replied determinedly.

Back at Southfork Miss Ellie and Lucy were sitting down at the dinner table. "Where's Bobby, grandma?" Lucy asked. Miss Ellie sighed. "He just said he would be out for the evening" Miss Ellie answered, looking round at all the empty seats sadly. "It's not the same now, is it?" Lucy asked glumly. "We will get used to it" her grandmother responded with more than a hint of resignation to her voice.

Tbc

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing : )**


	277. Chapter 278

"So, how are things?" Sue Ellen asked as she settled herself down at the table. Pam smiled widely, telling her friend all she needed to know. "That good?" Sue Ellen giggled. Pam nodded. "Mark is just wonderful. I never thought I could feel this way again, not after what happened with Bobby."

Sue Ellen accepted a menu and paused until the waiter had retreated. "How much have you been seeing of one another then?" she asked. "We see each other pretty regularly" Pam responded. "Two or three times a week. I've even introduced him to my daddy and Cliff and, guess what? They both thoroughly approve of him! It's unbelievable how much my life has turned around since the day I walked out of Southfork!"

"I'm truly happy for you, Pam." Sue Ellen replied. "Miss Ellie has asked after you. I told her and JR that we intended to carry on being friends. I mean, it's not as if we are doing anything wrong by remaining in contact." "And?" "Well you can imagine JR's reaction but, in fairness, he didn't try to dictate to me. Miss Ellie seemed pleased. She has asked after you a couple of times. I think she misses you."

Pam sighed. "Do they know about Mark?" "JR does. He's my husband and it isn't healthy to keep secrets from each other. I haven't mentioned anything to Miss Ellie though. It didn't seem appropriate but, now that your divorce has gone through, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to?"

Pam shook her head. She wished she could have maintained a relationship with her former mother-in-law but she realised that it was complicated. After all, Bobby was Miss Ellie's son and, no matter what views she held about the breakdown of their marriage, she was bound to be loyal to him. "It wouldn't upset her, would it?" she asked, suddenly anxious about it becoming common knowledge amongst the Ewings that she had moved on and met someone else. Sue Ellen shook her head. "No, I think she will be happy for you. You deserve to be happy, Pam."

Conversation halted whilst they ordered lunch, each choosing a salad and a modest glass of wine. "It's nice to get out now and again" Sue Ellen commented. Pam stared at her. Was there a hint of sadness in her voice? She wondered. "I mean it's wonderful living in our own place and I love being a wife and mother but…." "You're bored?"

Sue Ellen sighed. "A little bit. It just feels like there's something missing from my life." "Have you told JR?" Sue Ellen sighed again. "Yes, and we've discussed it with the therapist but he just doesn't understand. He thinks that because I have him and the children then that's all that I should need and then I start to feel guilty because I know how privileged I am and how lucky I have been…"

Pam stared at Sue Ellen and then reflected on how young she still was given all the responsibility that had been heaped on her shoulders. Married immediately after her graduation and then becoming a mother to three children, she had never experienced the world of work or the dating scene, things most young women enjoyed before settling down these days, she mused.

"Do you regret the decision to leave Southfork?" Pam asked, conscious of the fact that there always seemed to be something happening there to take an interest in. Sue Ellen shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, never! It was definitely the right thing to do. I just feel a little bit lost." "Are there no charitable activities that you could become involved in?" Pam suggested. "Well I have been helping Miss Ellie with this year's rodeo but the reality is that she and the members of the DOA have pretty much got it nailed." Pam smiled ruefully. "The DOA…" Sue Ellen chuckled. "I know! I really don't want to get sucked into that group again. It's alright for Miss Ellie. She has a very good friend in Mavis and she commands total respect from the others. When I was a member I was treated as though I was just some dumb ex-beauty queen who wasn't entitled to express an opinion. I mean I have a degree! Not that that was ever recognised."

"Get JR out to take you out to dinner and then dancing?" Pam advised. "He does take me out. We have a date on Friday and I do enjoy his company and we do still have an active life in the physical sense so it's not like I feel neglected by him or that he has lost interest in me. If anything, now we have our own place and much greater privacy, he's more interested than ever. Pam, I just can't figure out what's wrong with me?" Sue Ellen sipped her wine. "Anyway, let's change the subject to something much more cheerful. I take it that you and Mark have…"

Pam smiled shyly. "Yes, it happened very recently. He took me to his house. It's a lovely property. Very grand." "And, how was it?" "It was good. He was very caring and tender. I think he enjoyed it too, well he must have, because we're seeing each other again tomorrow night. He's taking me to the theatre."

Sue Ellen smiled back, pleased for Pam. "I'm glad it's all working out so well for you both" she responded. "Your ex-husband is a man of mystery these days according to Miss Ellie. He's out most evenings but is cagey when asked where he has been, not that you care, of course." Pam shook her head. "I couldn't care less to be frank. I'm moving on in my life and he can too. It wouldn't bother me one jot if he had a different woman every night."

Lunch arrived prompting a natural pause in the conversation. Pam's thoughts turned back to Sue Ellen's predicament and then, suddenly, inspiration hit her. "Sue Ellen, I have just had a great idea for something that would relieve your boredom! I need you to come with me to The Store afterwards. I want to introduce you to somebody!"

Tbc

 **No chapters until next week now. I am going away for the weekend. Thank you for reading and reviewing : )**


	278. Chapter 279

"Liz, this is my former sister-in-law, my friend, Sue Ellen" Pam began. "Of course, Mrs Ewing, we are always happy to see you here" Liz Craig responded, holding out her hand for Sue Ellen to shake it. "What can we do for you today? I'm sure that Pamela has mentioned the fabulous stock that we have in, all of it eminently suitable for a lady like you?"

"No, that's not why we are here, Liz" Pam answered firmly. "Is the photoshoot still going ahead this afternoon?" Liz nodded. "Yes, they are setting up on the second floor as we speak. I was just about to go up there." Before she could ask for any further information Pam interjected. "Good, because I have a feeling that the editor is going to be very interested in meeting Sue Ellen! Shall we?" Gesturing for the three women to leave Liz's office Pam smiled as her boss and Sue Ellen both glanced at her questioningly. "You'll see!" she told them.

Upstairs the womenswear floor was in uproar as models practised walking down the catwalk and assistants scurried around, arms full of designer garments. At the heart of it all stood an elegant, very well- dressed woman in her mid to late forties directing the action with an air of authority about her. She turned and stared at the four women approaching her, each of them glamorous and beautifully turned out in their own right, but it was the young, taller brunette who made the biggest impression.

"Helen? Please may I introduce you to my friend, Sue Ellen Ewing?" Pam began. "Delighted to meet you" the woman responded, staring at Sue Ellen from head to foot. "Are you here for the show, Mrs Ewing?" she asked. "Yes and no" Pam answered before Sue Ellen had the chance to say anything. "Sue Ellen, this is Helen Jones, she is the editor of a new women's magazine that is being launched next month. The fashion show is for an article to be included in the first edition. Helen, I believe I have found you that columnist that you have been looking for!"

Sue Ellen blushed and shifted nervously from one foot to the other. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Not me! Pam, you're not being serious, are you?" Pam nodded resolutely. "Of course, I am! Wouldn't she be perfect, ladies? She has the looks, the taste, the style and she's a young mother as well! Who would be better placed than Sue Ellen to fill that position that you have been finding it so difficult to find the right person for?"

"Can you write, Mrs Ewing?" Helen asked, intrigued. Pam had a point, she mused, staring at Sue Ellen, mentally calculating where and how she would fit in to the concept of the magazine. "Well, I did edit my college newspaper" Sue Ellen answered, completely unsure of herself. "And you minored in English, didn't you?" Pam interrupted. Sue Ellen nodded shyly.

"What we are looking for here is a young, stylish and active woman who can comment entertainingly on the latest fashion, what's going on in Dallas society, interior decor and other topics of interest for our chosen demographic, that is Texan women in their twenties and thirties. I'll be honest the people we have interviewed so far have been way too old to be relatable" Helen told them.

Sue Ellen looked at her doubtfully. "Would I be relatable? I mean, I do lead a pretty privileged lifestyle. Your readers might not take me very seriously." Helen shook her head. "Relatable no, aspirational yes! What happened to you is for most young women the ultimate dream! Everyone knows your story, an ordinary girl swept off her feet by a powerful oilman, smitten from the minute he saw you at the Miss Texas contest. Plus, you are very good looking with a great figure. Liz, can you imagine? Putting Mrs Ewing into an outfit chosen from The Store each month? It's advertising gold!"

Liz's eyes lit up at the thought. "Helen's right. Mrs Ewing please will you think about it?" Excitement combined with self-doubt, Sue Ellen paused before responding. "I don't know. I mean, I'm sure that it would be challenging and fun but I do have three very young children to care for. Then there's my husband. JR is a traditional Texan man. He wouldn't countenance my going out to work after we got married. I'm not sure he would like me becoming some sort of fashion commentator…"

"Donate the fee to charity, do what you like with it! I'd be prepared to make that clear at the foot of the column if that would make your husband feel better" Helen informed her, willing the young woman not to reject the proposal out of hand. "It's a day or two's work once a month, that's all. Oh, and you would get full editorial approval if that would make you and your husband feel more comfortable."

"Speaking of charity Sue Ellen's mother-in-law is hosting a charity rodeo next month. What better topic to write about in the first edition? Liz, we could select a really good outfit for Sue Ellen to wear to the event. She looks great in a pair of jeans I can tell you!" Pam suggested enthusiastically.

Sue Ellen politely raised her hand. There was no point in continuing the conversation when she hadn't really had time to think about the matter properly or, even more so, to discuss it with JR. "Alright, I will consider it and speak to my husband and let you know" she told them decisively. "Can you stay for the show?" Helen asked, an idea forming in her mind that a couple of photographs of Sue Ellen Ewing, their brand- new columnist, attending the show would be the perfect introduction to the readership. They could even run the tag line that this is how she came to be selected.

"Alright then, thank you. I would like to see some of the new lines that you have in." Pam guided her to a seat right in the middle of the front row, sensing that there was an ulterior motive to the invitation. Helen smiled. "Pam's quick isn't she? You're lucky to have her" she commented to Liz who had begun to get excited about the proposal too.

As Sue Ellen took her seat she began to feel more positive. She could nail this, she told herself. Now all she had to do was persuade JR.

Tbc


	279. Chapter 280

Sue Ellen arrived home and was met with excited greetings from her children who were out in the garden watched closely by their nanny. Aaron kicked his legs at the sight of his mama and leaned forward in the nanny's arms for Sue Ellen to take hold of him. She clasped her baby to her body and kissed him, inhaling the smell of his downy, dark brown hair. Ella and John Ross vied for her attention with various outdoor toys that they had been playing with. Sue Ellen smiled and responded, interested in the way that her children were developing as individuals. Ella had a bright, assertive personality and a confidence that she could only have inherited from her daddy. John Ross was more laid-back, sweet-natured and content to play second fiddle to his older sister. Aaron was just a happy, bonny baby, never more so than when he was with his mama, oblivious to the troubled time she had in bonding with him when he was first born.

"I can take over here" Sue Ellen told the nanny. "If you go now you might just miss the rush-hour traffic." The young woman thanked her and said goodbye to her three little charges. Before the move JR and Sue Ellen had agreed that, whilst they would require some household staff, they would not be the live-in type. Sue Ellen wanted to run her own household and take the majority of the responsibility for raising her children. JR just wanted the privacy that they had never had at Southfork but had briefly enjoyed so greatly at the townhouse.

Sue Ellen gestured to Ella and John Ross to follow her indoors. The housekeeper, Mrs Chambers, had prepared dinner for the children. Dismissing her for the evening after the children had eaten and the kitchen had been cleared, Sue Ellen glanced at the clock. "Bath time" she announced cheerfully. Ordinarily she would have waited for JR to get home before starting the process of settling the children down for the night. However, that evening she knew that she and JR would have to talk about the offer she had just had to become a magazine columnist, an offer that, the more she thought about it, the more attractive it seemed.

"Where's daddy?" Ella asked. "Daddy's still at work, sweetie. He'll come and see you when you're all tucked up in bed" Sue Ellen told her. Ella began to protest but was assuaged by her mama informing her that it was her turn to choose the bedtime story afterwards.

An hour later and all three children were fast asleep in the spacious nursery that Sue Ellen had created for them. She smiled to herself as she closed the door gently behind her. What would she cook for dinner? She mused as she made for the stairs. Something that JR really liked, something that might assist her to persuade him that she should take the job, she schemed. She turned on her heels at the top of the stairs and entered her bedroom instead. She quickly changed into a different dress, one that was low cut and much sexier than the one that she had been wearing, and tied her hair into a loose bun, tendrils falling attractively around her face. A dash of lipstick and blusher and she was ready, in total persuasion mode, or was that seduction mode?

As she began her dinner preparation she heard the familiar sound of the engine of JR's Mercedes pulling into the driveway. Two minutes later his key was in the door. Sue Ellen carried on what she was doing, pausing only to pour her husband a drink. "Darlin" he greeted her as he entered the kitchen and accepted the glass from her before inspecting her appearance. "Where are the children?" "In bed, fast asleep. They were shattered" she responded. "Do you want to go up and see them?"

JR shook his head. His mind was on a different matter entirely. "I will in a short while, honey." He took a further gulp of his bourbon and set the glass down on the counter. Walking up behind her he pulled one of the ends of her apron strings, causing the neat bow that she had tied to come undone. "JR!" she scolded him. "Come on, Sue Ellen" he responded, pulling her towards him. "JR, we have all evening for that. There's something I need to discuss with you before dinner" she admonished him, attempting weakly to free herself from his grasp.

"I need you, sugar. It's been on my mind all day. Let me? Please?" He kissed her neck and face, keeping a tight hold of her around her waist in case she tried to wriggle free once more. "It's been a hard day and I need some release, right now" he coaxed her. "Later, JR" she answered "we need to talk."

She attempted to remove his hands but her actions only increased his ardour. Turning her briskly towards the kitchen counter he bent her over, moved her panties to one side and freed his cock from his trousers. Pushing her head down, he quickly entered her. "JR!" she gasped as he began to thrust himself inside her. "That feels so good, sugar" he panted. "Tell me it feels good for you too."

She didn't respond, not that she needed to. The quickening of her breath and soft moans told him. She might have started off reluctant but, now, she was enjoying him doing it to her, powerless to resist. He withdrew and turned her back around to face him. Lifting her onto the counter he entered her once more. She grasped the back of his neck and cried out as he began again, this time with even more urgency than before.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you, sugar" he demanded as he could feel himself pulsing, almost there. "Fuck me, JR" she panted obediently, wrapping her legs around him, drawing him even further inside her. Suddenly, he groaned, the sense of release that he had craved washing over him as he bucked his hips for a final time, filling her.

When he was done he gazed into her eyes before kissing her lips. "God, Sue Ellen, I really needed that" he told her gratefully. As they uncoupled and started re-adjusting their clothes Sue Ellen spoke. "Do I deserve your gratitude, JR?" she asked seductively. "After that? Too right" he replied, smiling wickedly, happy he had got his own way. "Well in that case then, there's something I want to run by you…"

Tbc


	280. Chapter 281

JR stared sullenly at his plate, considering how to respond. He had known that Sue Ellen was feeling a little bored, that much had come through in their therapy sessions, but he had always believed that once she was more settled in the new house it would pass. His mother had always kept herself occupied at home and then, later, as a senior figurehead at the DOA. Why couldn't Sue Ellen do the same?

He didn't want his wife, Mrs JR Ewing, running around to social events, expressing her opinions in public. More than that, though, the thought of her modelling new fashions simply horrified him. His thoughts turned briefly to Mandy. How could he ever have been attracted to such a vacuous albeit pretty clothes-horse in the first place? No, he wasn't going to have his wife, the mother of his children, a Ewing, having any part in such a stupid idea.

He should have realised all along that permitting an ongoing friendship between his wife and the Barnes woman would end up with a situation like this, he mentally admonished himself before pushing his dinner, uneaten, away from him.

"JR?" Sue Ellen asked anxiously. She knew from his expression and the way he had rejected the delicious food that she had prepared for him that he hadn't liked one bit what she had to say. His mood had switched from the elated aftermath of their impromptu sex session to one more likened to a sulky schoolboy.

"What do you want me to say, Sue Ellen?" he eventually responded. "That it's a great idea to have my wife's picture splashed all over the pages of some low-rent, idiotic women's magazine each month so that everyone who knows us can see?" Sue Ellen sighed. "It's not that type of publication, JR" she protested. "It's going to be very classy. Aspirational was the word used. Oh, and it's not as if I'm going to be photographed wearing next to nothing! It will be a carefully chosen outfit each time. Plus, I, we, get full editorial approval."

JR pushed his chair back from the table and took a gulp of wine. "What does that mean? You know what journalists are like! Zero integrity! Don't you remember how they were all over us that time at court?" "It means that there is a contractual obligation upon the magazine to check that it publishes only what I am content with" Sue Ellen argued determinedly. "Not all journalists are the same, you know. This woman seems very nice."

"Nonsense! You know nothing about her!" JR remonstrated with her. "They're all the same! They push and push until you can't say no. Before you know it, you'll be embroiled in some swimsuit or underwear shoot that you can't get out of. How is that going to look?"

"Well it didn't trouble you when you were the judge at the Miss Texas contest. You were perfectly happy to ogle me and the other girls in our bathing suits then!" JR glared at her before downing the remainder of his glass and pouring another. "You weren't my wife then and you weren't the mother of our children" he told her, sternly. "Then there's the issue of the money. How is it going to appear to our friends, not to speak of my rivals, to see you in paid employment?" "My fee will be donated to charity, to the current project of the DOA to help impoverished children, that will be made clear. In any event, it's ludicrous to think that anyone might actually think that I am doing this for the money. Just think about this properly, JR, as opposed to acting like a caveman all the time!"

Sue Ellen folded her arms stubbornly. She wasn't going to give in easily, that JR realised. Time for a different tack, he decided. "You know I only want you to be happy, don't you, sugar?" he began. "If there's something missing in your life I want to help you to find it. What about we take a vacation once the ink is dry on the contract for the company takeover? I could spare a week or two. We could go anywhere you want, just us and the children. What do you say?"

Sue Ellen paused for a moment. She knew that if she took the line of least resistance and allowed JR to have his way on the subject she would almost certainly be rewarded handsomely by him. He'd done it before, upping his attentiveness towards her, bringing her gifts, spoiling her, manipulating her into agreeing to going with the way he saw things. It would be all too easy to settle for a vacation somewhere lovely and end this dispute, her husband pleased with her once more, harmony restored between them. Not this time, though, she resolved. The mighty JR Ewing wasn't going to get his own way on this one.

"It's not a vacation that I need, JR. We can go away any time we want. It's a sense of purpose, that's the only way that I can describe it." "But you have a purpose, sugar, a very important one. You are a wife and a mother, why isn't that enough?" he argued, exasperated with her. "I know my responsibilities and I think I am meeting them very well. You never had a problem with me being involved in the DOA. Why is this different? If anything, it will take up less of my time than that did."

"It's because when you go to the DOA meetings and lunches my mama is there and I know exactly what you're doing!" JR exploded and then immediately regretted it. He'd shown his hand and now there was no going back. "There it is again, your jealousy, your insecurity. Don't you recognise it after all those months in therapy?" she asked, only this time her tone and expression had softened, no longer angry but now understanding.

"I know" he admitted sheepishly. Sue Ellen got up, walked over to him and sat on his lap, relieved to feel him place his arms around her waist, drawing her into him. "We need to discuss this with Maggie, don't we?" he volunteered. "You do trust me, don't you?" JR nodded. "It's other people that I don't trust though." "The first article is intended to be all about the Ewing rodeo" she told him. "You'll be there, your mama will be there and the children. What possible harm could there be in that? When you have seen what it's like you may feel more comfortable with the idea?" JR stared at her uncertainly. "Perhaps then you could give it a go, just committed to that one article and then review the situation?" Sue Ellen smiled and kissed him. "It's a deal. Now, let me warm up your dinner, you must be starving."

Tbc


	281. Chapter 282

"Do you see where this issue has led you back to?" Maggie asked, staring intently at JR. JR sighed, irritated by the question. "I don't think it's a bad thing for a husband to want to know where his wife is and what she is doing" he argued, causing Sue Ellen to raise her eyes to the ceiling, a sign of exasperation with him. "You know where I will be and exactly what I will be doing!" she countered boldly. Historically she would never have dared to oppose his views, cowed by his power and wealth compared to her humbler origins. Now, however, confident of her position in his life and her importance to him, she knew that she could express her views freely.

JR sighed, realising that there was no sensible response to her argument. Grudgingly he had agreed to Sue Ellen producing one column for the new magazine, confined to the Ewing charity rodeo, before reviewing the matter and then deciding between them about her future involvement in the project. However, confronted with the demands of the therapeutic process, he had subsequently dug his heels in and reverted to type.

"JR?" Maggie asked, forcing him to respond. JR harrumphed annoyedly. "I don't understand why you need this in your life, honey" he eventually answered. "You're a wife and a mother. Is that not enough for you?" "And you're a husband and a father. Is that not enough for you?" Sue Ellen shot back quickly. "That's just too ridiculous for words, Sue Ellen!" JR responded, obviously irked. "Is it, JR? Is it such a ridiculous question that it doesn't deserve an answer?" Maggie asked. "My wife knows what my obligations to the company, a company formed by my father for his family I might add, are."

"You could sell the business tomorrow and we and generations of the family yet to come would have no financial worries. Yet you get up and go to work every day, still doing deals, still empire building. What drives that, JR?" Sue Ellen asked. JR shrugged his shoulders. His wife just didn't understand. Him running Ewing Oil wasn't just about the money. It was continuing his daddy's legacy that spurred him on, made him want the company to be the biggest independent in the State before, at some point in the future, handing it over to his sons.

"You know what drives me, Sue Ellen. You cannot possibly compare your situation to mine. Honey, I have the utmost respect for your intelligence but wouldn't that be better put to use by concentrating on the education and development of our children?" Sue Ellen stared at him, insulted. "Are you accusing me of neglecting the children now?"

Before JR could answer, most probably making things a lot worse between them, Maggie interjected. "Stop!" she demanded. "This is spiralling into something that it need not be, not if you stop making excuses and start being honest with each other."

Chastened by the therapist's words Sue Ellen took a deep breath and began again. "I love you and I love our children but I'm just a little bored and need a change of scenery, just every so often. You can understand that, can't you, JR? It may seem trivial compared to what you do every day but, to me, it would be interesting and fun working for the magazine. Frivolous yes, but totally harmless at the end of the day."

JR paused, thought about what she had said and decided to be frank. "You see, I worry that it won't be harmless. You'll be coming into contact with other men, photographers for example, and I'm scared, that's all." "Of what?" Maggie asked pointedly. "Of losing her, of course! To someone else!"

Still jealous, still insecure after all they had been through, Maggie reflected. Maybe that was why JR Ewing was the way he was, she wondered. For the most part of their marriage he had contended with a brother breathing down his neck, at the company, but more importantly at home, where his wife was concerned. He had also been tempted by another woman so why would it be different where Sue Ellen was concerned? JR's determination to beat off all rivals and take what he wanted for himself stemmed from early childhood. It was a coping mechanism that was ingrained in him, in everything he did, every decision he made in life. The irony was, though, that his behaviour was at risk of driving Sue Ellen away by the intensity and the anger that accompanied it. The more he tried to possess her the more claustrophobic and difficult it would likely become for her.

"Do you not trust Sue Ellen?" Maggie asked, turning her attention to the young woman who, by now, looked crestfallen, beaten, done. "I do" JR replied "it's just that…" "What?" Sue Ellen asked. "I'm not the one who was sneaking around behind your back with someone else. That was you!" JR shook his head. "Well that's not quite true, is it, honey? I mean you must have given Bobby enough encouragement to make him think that you might run off with him?" "Here we go again!" Sue Ellen responded sadly. "Back to square one."

"Not necessarily" Maggie told them firmly. "JR, you did tell Sue Ellen that you were prepared to consider her writing just the first column. Do you think you could tolerate that? Sue Ellen feels stifled right now. You need to give her some freedom, to make her own choices. The more you try to hold her hostage the unhappier she is going to become. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy that I am advising you to try to avoid" the therapist warned.

"Put it like that and I don't have much choice, do I?" JR asked gruffly, unconvinced but now also a little bit afraid by the warning that had just been delivered so ominously. "Alright then, honey, let's see how it goes. Then we can decide, together." Sue Ellen smiled at him for the first time in the last hour. "Thank you, JR. It will work out just fine. You'll see."

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	282. Chapter 283

Much to JR's chagrin Miss Ellie proved to be most enthusiastic about Sue Ellen featuring the Ewing Rodeo in her first column. His mother shared the news with the ladies of the DOA who expressed delight and excitement at the prospect. "It will be excellent publicity for our cause" Mavis commented as Miss Ellie described the proposed piece to the ladies assembled at Southfork for their usual monthly lunch.

Sensing her husband's unease and not wanting to jeopardise the potential for him to permit a second column, Sue Ellen kept her own excitement to herself, maintaining their normal, serene family routine and making sure that she remained as attentive as ever to him. If anything, though, this only seemed to unsettle him further, reminding him that she was giving him no cause to oppose her venture in the future without coming across as sexist and irrational.

They arrived at Southfork early on the morning of the event, only Aaron absent, his parents having decided that he was too young to derive any benefit from attending and his needs too great to be met by them given their other commitments that day. Miss Ellie greeted them warmly, holding her arms out to her two grandchildren for an embrace.

"Your photographer and make-up artist are already here" she told Sue Ellen prompting a sigh of irritation from JR. "You can get ready in yours and JR's old room." Sue Ellen looked at JR and smiled in appeasement. "Go on, honey" he told her gruffly. "I'll take the children to the kitchen for breakfast."

As Sue Ellen walked quickly upstairs JR ushered his son and daughter through the dining room and into the kitchen. "Good morning Teresa. Say, where are Bobby and Lucy?" he asked, slicing a piece of buttered toast in two and handing half to each of the children. "Good morning, sir" Teresa responded politely. "Miss Lucy is upstairs getting ready. Mr Bobby, well I don't really know. He isn't at home much these days."

"Mama? Where's Bobby?" JR questioned as his mother joined them. She shrugged her shoulders. "He went out last night, didn't say where he was going but he did confirm that he would be competing in the rodeo." Miss Ellie's expression and phlegmatic tone told JR that it would be unwise to push for further information for fear of upsetting her. "Do you want juice, Ella, John Ross?" Miss Ellie asked, brightening at her grandchildren's happy little faces.

Upstairs Sue Ellen stared at herself in the mirror. "It's not too much is it?" she asked the make-up artist anxiously. "Oh no, not at all, Mrs Ewing. You look lovely. By the way, your outfit from The Store is hanging up in the closet. I believe it was delivered here yesterday" the young woman answered reassuringly.

Ten minutes later and she was ready. The outfit that Liz and Pam had picked out she was relieved to find was not only stylish and suited her but was sufficiently modest not to prick JR's insecurities where she was concerned. A tight pair of dark blue jeans, a pale blue shirt and beige leather waistcoat with matching cowboy boots were just perfect, she mused as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She descended the stairs to be met by her husband. "How do I look?" she asked JR. "You look very pretty, sugar" he replied sullenly. "But then you always do." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Do you want to come and watch? The photoshoot I mean?" JR shook his head. "No, honey, that's not my type of thing. I'll watch the children. See you later" he responded firmly, attempting to appear more cheerful. The truth was that he couldn't trust himself not to become jealous and anxious at the attention that he knew she was about to receive. Better to stay away, he had resolved over breakfast, even though the temptation to supervise had been strong. "See you later" Sue Ellen replied, hesitating for a second to try to assess his mood. JR flashed her a wide yet forced smile. "Go on then, enjoy it!" he told her, attempting to sound supportive.

Outside, a team of personnel from the magazine, including the editor, was waiting. "Sue Ellen, you look just great!" Helen complimented her. "Now, let me introduce you to John. He's the photographer." A good-looking young man offered Sue Ellen his hand. "How do you do, Sue Ellen? I reckon it will be very easy to get some great shots this morning, what with you looking the way you do." His informality took Sue Ellen by surprise. In the social circles that she moved in men never addressed women that they had never met before in such a manner, she pondered. It just wasn't the done thing.

She smiled politely and shook his hand. "Shall we make a start?" John asked. He held out his hand to her and helped her climb onto a stack of hay bales that had been arranged in front of the "Ewing Charity Rodeo" sign. "Just enjoy yourself, Sue Ellen" Helen advised, standing back to get a better view of the tableau that had been created by her team.

Sue Ellen smiled nervously, conscious that the camera was already clicking away, over and over again. "That's it, relax, honey" the photographer advised. "You're doing really well." Sue Ellen quickly grew accustomed to the task and, more confident than she had been at the start, shifted comfortably from one pose to another. "She's a natural" Helen commented, delighted by her find. "She sure is" her assistant answered. "This piece is going to look great. I don't think she realises just how sexy she is. Does she have a background in modelling?" Helen shook her head. "No, she was Miss Texas in 1967 but then got married straight after graduating from college. She's beautiful but extremely photogenic with it, the perfect combination"

The shoot eventually came to a close, the team satisfied that they had more than they required. "That was a complete success, Sue Ellen! Thank you. Now, I need you to send me what you have written within the next seven days. You need to get in there, mingle, talk to people and get some decent quotes. I'm sure your mother-in-law would be prepared to say something for the article?" Helen advised. Sue Ellen nodded. "Don't worry. I'm fairly sure that I know what to do. I won't let you down, I promise."

As she bade the woman farewell her attention was drawn to the arrival of the rodeo riders, each of them bidding to snag the main cash prize. Some of them had mini entourages of fans and supporters with them, minor celebrities on the Texas circuit, exuding an air of unerring confidence in their abilities. However, it was the penetrating blue-eyed gaze of a lone cowboy that immediately struck her. Making direct eye contact with him he doffed his Stetson politely and smiled at her.

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	283. Chapter 284

"Would it be possible to round up your mother-in-law and the key members of the DOA for a picture, Sue Ellen?" The photographer's question diverted Sue Ellen's attention from the handsome cowboy who remained where he stood, watching her, fascinated. "Yes of course, follow me. I'll introduce you" she replied distractedly. The photographer put his arm around her waist. Sue Ellen moved away pointedly and strode on ahead. The world of fashion and journalism might be rather less formal than the circles that she usually moved in but that was going too far in her book, she decided.

She quickly introduced the man to Miss Ellie and left the two of them to it. As she excused herself she was relieved to see John Ross, followed by JR and Ella approaching her. "Hello, shall we go and see the horses?" she asked, scooping her little boy up into her arms, relieved that all was normal again. "How did the photo shoot go, honey?" JR asked, although something about his tone told her that he already knew.

"Uh, well it was alright. Bit tedious if you really want to know. It's not the modelling that I'm interested in. It's the feature writing that will be the most enjoyable part." JR looked at her doubtfully but did not reply. He knew what he had seen, leaving it several minutes before adopting a position just far enough away not to be seen by her but close enough to be able to observe.

As they neared the temporary stadium Ella squealed excitedly. "Uncle Bobby!" JR sighed as his younger brother came into view. However, it was his companions that drew his and Sue Ellen's attention. A young, petite, blonde woman was walking alongside Bobby who was flanked on the other side by a pretty little girl aged about six, the child grasping Bobby's hand, surveying her surroundings excitedly.

"JR?" Sue Ellen asked, confused. As the trio came nearer the identity of the woman became apparent to JR. "Jenna Wade!" he exclaimed. "Now that's a ghost from the past!" Sue Ellen had heard tales of "the Wade girl" every now and again, the one who broke Bobby's heart by running away and then eloping with another man, an Italian, suddenly and without any real warning. Now, she was back, or so it seemed, and she had a child.

"Hello" Bobby greeted them sheepishly, pausing to lift Ella into his arms to deliver a kiss to the little girl. JR and Sue Ellen stared at him and then his companions. "Hello Bobby" Sue Ellen eventually responded. "Are you ready for the competition?" "I sure am. JR, you remember Jenna, don't you? Oh, and this is her daughter, Charlotte, Charlie for short." JR nodded and then doffed his Stetson politely. "How could I forget? Hello, Jenna, how are you?" Jenna smiled awkwardly. The last time she had been here had made her mind up for her. She was leaving, getting right out of Texas and making a new life for herself in Europe, desperate for the excitement and adventure that marriage to Bobby Ewing just wouldn't deliver. How wrong she had been.

"I'm well thank you, JR" Jenna replied shyly, unsure whether, knowing JR as she did, he might be looking for a confrontation, hoping that the presence of the three children might act as an inhibitor. "Let me introduce you to my wife, Sue Ellen, and two of my three children, Ella and John Ross." Sue Ellen extended her hand to the young woman, intrigued. "How do you do?" Jenna returned the gesture, all too aware of the stilted atmosphere that existed between the four adults but not fully understanding the reason, assuming that it must be her fault, because of the upset that she had caused all those years ago, oblivious as to what had happened subsequently.

The two women looked down to see Charlie twirling Ella around, making the little girl giggle, and smiled. At least the children could get on, Sue Ellen mused. That had to be something. "Would you like to come and sit with us to watch Bobby compete?" JR asked, hoping that perhaps, finally, Bobby had moved on. Jenna looked at Bobby, unsure how to respond. Bobby smiled encouragingly. For several weeks now he had been seeing Jenna in secret and now was the time that he had decided to make their relationship public. He wasn't in love with her, at least not yet, their history having left too great an emotional scar to permit him to fall for her that quickly. However, he did like her, a lot, and she was hot in bed, experienced and not afraid to show it. Then there was Charlie….

"That would be very nice, thank you" Jenna finally responded, smiling shyly. Bobby kissed her lightly. As he was about to bid them farewell to take up his position in the chutes, another couple suddenly came into view, Sue Ellen being the first to spot them. "Pam" she murmured under her breath to her husband.

Her expression caught the attention of the others. Bobby sighed. "What is she doing here?" he asked annoyedly. "I don't know, Bob, nothing to do with me" JR replied defensively. This was none of his doing but he imagined, almost gleefully, that things were about to become even more interesting. They stared as the couple drew nearer, the identity of Pam's companion becoming evident. "Is that Mark Graison?" Bobby asked. Sue Ellen and JR nodded. "Pam's been seeing Mark for some time now" Sue Ellen informed him. Jenna looked up at Bobby, perplexed. Why did he seem irritated by the fact that his ex-wife had a new man in her life, she wondered? Bobby had been at pains ever since their first date to explain that his relationship with Pam was dead and buried, over, history. Now he seemed almost jealous. This was all too confusing, she mused.

Mark, grasping Pam tightly around the waist, approached the foursome confidently. "Hello. I'm here for the competition. I asked Miss Ellie if it would be alright to bring a guest and she said it was. Not that she needs much introduction, but this is my girlfriend, Pamela Barnes." JR smiled wickedly. Mark had taken no time at all to start goading Bobby. This was going to get very interesting, he decided.

"Pamela" Bobby greeted her seriously. "I'm sure my mama will be very happy to see you here again. Now, I must be getting on but, before I do, this is Jenna and her daughter, Charlie. Jenna is my girlfriend."

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 **Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been really busy. Thank you for reading and reviewing : )**


	284. Chapter 285

Sue Ellen glared at Bobby leaving him in no doubt about her feelings toward him right at that moment. She had nothing against Jenna or her daughter who seemed to be a very pleasant little girl. However, when it came down to it, her loyalty was with Pam, her former sister-in-law and now best friend. "JR, would you keep Jenna and Charlie company please? Your mama has just taken a seat in the arena. She will help you with the children. I'll stay down on ground level with Pam and Mark" she told her husband firmly.

Annoyed but not wishing to show it, JR gestured politely to his brother's guests to follow him, scooping John Ross into his arms and taking hold of Ella's hand. Bobby waved them goodbye, smirked at Pam and Mark before striding purposefully away in the direction of the chutes.

"You didn't have to do that" Pam told Sue Ellen as they made to follow, hanging back sufficiently to avoid any further confrontation. Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I know I didn't and it will probably cause an argument later but I wasn't going to have you left all alone while Mark competes. In any event I need some material for my column and, so far, other than speaking to the ladies of the DOA, I don't have any."

"Your outfit looks great" Pam commented. "Did you enjoy the photoshoot?" "It was alright I suppose. It just felt a bit odd being on show. It almost took me back to my pageant days." Mark quickened his pace as the first event was announced causing the two women to break into a jog to keep up with him. "Good luck, Mark" Sue Ellen told him as he kissed Pam, accepting her checked neckerchief as a trophy before approaching the line for the chute.

As he turned away Sue Ellen suddenly met the gaze of the cowboy that she had encountered earlier. He touched the edge of his Stetson in deference to the two young women. "Miss?" he greeted her. "You and your friend would be wise to keep your distance from the chutes." Sue Ellen smiled shyly as she and Pam took an instinctive step back. "We were just wishing my friend's boyfriend good luck" Sue Ellen informed the cowboy. "Well he's gonna need it because I'm going to win this rodeo" the cowboy replied confidently.

"Oh are you now?" Sue Ellen giggled and then blushed. Had her response just then been a tad flirtatious, she wondered? "I'm forgetting my manners. Please, let me introduce myself. I'm Steven Farlow but on the Circuit I prefer to use my nickname, Dusty." He removed his glove and held his hand out to her, holding her gaze and barely affording Pam the most momentary of glances. Sue Ellen shook his hand firmly. "Sue Ellen Ewing. My mother-in-law is hosting the event" she told him, trying to ignore the bolt of electricity that had coursed through her as she had taken his hand. Remaining unfazed by the revelation of her identity Dusty smiled again. "Wish me luck, Mrs Ewing?" he asked her cheekily. "Like you said before, Mr Farlow, I don't think you actually need it" she replied, mockingly. "Of course I don't but, from you, it sure would be nice."

Pam studied them, noting the obvious frisson between the pair. "Come on, Sue Ellen, let's go and sit over there. Mark's about to ride" she suggested, jolting her friend back to reality. "I have to go. Good luck" Sue Ellen told Dusty. "Thank you, ma'am" he replied, winking at her before retreating back into line immediately behind Bobby, fourth overall to compete.

As they took their seats Sue Ellen looked up at her family and waved cheerfully to her children. "Don't forget what you have there" Pam warned her, noting that JR was watching the two of them, stony-faced and obviously trying hard to maintain his composure whilst in public. "Pam!" Sue Ellen responded, feigning innocence yet feeling somewhat guilty about the brazen way that she had addressed Dusty given her marital status. "I'm just saying" Pam answered disapprovingly. She didn't care one jot for JR but she did care about her friend's happiness. A dalliance with a rodeo rider that was bound to go nowhere would be disastrous, she mused as the bell clanged and Mark was propelled into the arena on the back of a powerful bronco.

The two young women clapped and cheered as Mark held on for an impressive length of time before eventually conceding defeat to the strength of the animal. The rider next in line, a swaggering professional, didn't last long, misjudging his horse badly. Then it was Bobby's turn. Conscious of the fact that all eyes would be on her, Pam clapped politely as Bobby entered the ring but couldn't disguise her disappointment when he beat Mark by a split second.

Sue Ellen's stomach churned with excitement as Dusty took to his horse and waited for the bell. He looked up and flashed her a wide smile which she reciprocated carelessly. "Now I hope your cowboy friend wins this" Pam muttered, still irritated by the smug look on her ex-husband's face as he exited the arena, now in first place.

The two young women watched with bated breath as Dusty's horse bolted rapidly into the arena, Sue Ellen taking care not to clap too enthusiastically for fear of drawing even more attention to herself. Notwithstanding the horse's best efforts to throw him off, Dusty made it to the buzzer, victory in the first event within plain sight. As he waved triumphantly to the crowd Sue Ellen noted the number of young female fans in the audience clapping wildly, calling his name and blowing kisses. Confusingly, she felt almost irritated by the extent to which the young man attracted their attention until he turned to face her, smiled and bowed slightly, mouthing "thank you."

Sue Ellen smiled shyly and then put her head down, conscious of the fact that her husband was probably watching, knowing that if he was he'd be none too pleased. Right at that moment though, she wasn't sure she cared.

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	285. Chapter 286

As the afternoon unfolded the tension between the three main competitors grew ever more palpable. Each of them felt that they had something to prove and it wasn't just masculine pride that was driving them on in their efforts to become the overall winner. Their relationship with certain of the women who were watching them, all too keenly, played just as much a part.

JR observed the interactions between the three men but his closer attention was devoted to the overt flirtation between the mysterious cowboy and his wife. He fumed every time the man looked in Sue Ellen's direction and his stomach turned whenever she reciprocated by flashing him a wide smile. Now and again JR would glare at Sue Ellen but the young woman was so absorbed by the competition that she was oblivious to her husband's ire.

Two hours later and it was over. Dusty had been announced the overall winner by quite some margin it turned out, Bobby was second and Mark third. The event then became more social. The band began playing close to the house and food, drink and dancing became the focus for the event.

Sue Ellen mingled with the guests, enquiring how much they were enjoying themselves and pushing the charitable purpose behind the day. JR was left to put their exhausted and somewhat overwrought children down for a nap in what was their old nursery. Once they were both settled he re-joined the party, scanning the assembled guests for his wife, intent on laying claim to her by asking her to dance with him.

Much to his dismay he spotted her dancing the Texas Two-Step with the man who had been named victor of the rodeo. JR seethed at how comfortable his wife appeared with the man. Taking decisive action, he moved to the dancefloor and cut in. "Sue Ellen, dance with me please?" he asked annoyedly. "Sue Ellen is my wife" he informed Dusty, leaving the latter in no doubt. His interactions with the young Mrs Ewing had attracted the anger of her husband.

Dusty let go of Sue Ellen's hand and took a step back. "Of course, Mr Ewing" he responded politely. "Mrs Ewing, it sure has been nice getting to know you" he told her, tipping the edge of his Stetson before leaving the dancefloor. JR took Sue Ellen in his arms and pulled her close. She knew she was in trouble.

Aiming to soften him she kissed him lightly on the cheek and enquired after the children. "They are fast asleep" he told her gruffly. "Pity they didn't have their mama to comfort them." Sue Ellen sighed, irritated by her husband's inflexibility, but did not attempt to argue with him.

Feeling her submit to him physically, JR's mood brightened slightly. As the couple moved around the dancefloor he surveyed the scene. Bobby and Jenna were dancing together although the atmosphere between them appeared to be tense. By contrast Mark and Pam seemed perfectly happy and in tune with each other, an obvious chemistry between them rendering their interactions unforced and natural.

"It can't be easy for Jenna" Sue Ellen commented, picking up on her husband's cues. "Having Bobby's ex-wife here with a new boyfriend, I mean." JR shook his head. "Jenna's more troubled by the lukewarm reception that Bobby received from you and I" he informed her. "She asked in terms why you and I left Southfork. You have to remember, she knows my family very well and she's suspicious." "What did you tell her?" "I lied, obviously" he replied, not elaborating further.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, suddenly conscious of the fact that she hadn't eaten all day. "I am, sugar, but not for food" he answered, smiling mischievously. "Later" she told him, taking his hand and leading him from the dancefloor. He had been in a bad mood and she had anticipated trouble between them but now things appeared to be improving and she wanted that state of affairs to continue.

"Are you having a good time?" Miss Ellie asked as they approached the food stations. "Yes, thank you, Miss Ellie. The event has been a total success" Sue Ellen replied. "I have checked on the children and they are still fast asleep. Please, help yourselves."

As Sue Ellen served them both a plate of food their attention was drawn back to the dancefloor. A disturbance was breaking out and, predictably, it involved Bobby and Mark. "Mark, please?" Pam begged him. "I'm sure it was just an accident." "No, it wasn't, Pam. He's been on a mission to rile us all day. What is it? You don't want Pam but you don't want anyone else to have her? You're sick!"

As the floor cleared, the other dancers apprehensive about what was about to occur, Bobby threw the first punch. Mark was quick to react, ducking the insult and then making first contact with his opponent's chin.

Bobby recovered quickly and punched Mark's cheek hard sending him flying. "Do something JR" Miss Ellie urged, upset that her event was being spoiled by conflict between the two men. JR smirked wickedly as Mark threw the next punch, Pam and Jenna standing by helplessly. JR had no time for his former sister-in-law but, by comparison, he hated his brother more and revelled in the fact that Mark was more than holding his own.

JR made a lame attempt to separate the two men to no avail. Bobby pushed him forcefully away before storming back towards Mark. "Come on, Ewing" Mark goaded him. "Let's see what you're made of!"

JR watched from the side-lines, enjoying the pasting that Mark was subjecting his younger brother to. He had wanted to do the same thing on many an occasion but realised he wasn't strong enough to take him on, preferring other, subtler means to deal with him. As things began to spiral out of control it was Dusty who came to the rescue. He and another professional rodeo rider stepped in to separate the pair, pushing them away from each other and then offering calming words, defusing the situation and restoring order.

Miss Ellie thanked the men and warned Bobby and then Mark that they would only be welcome if they behaved themselves from now onwards. JR sidled over to his brother. "Looks like Pamela has got herself a real man this time" he goaded slyly. "Someone who's interested in her and not somebody else's wife."

"Bobby?" Jenna asked. "What did JR mean when he said that?" Oblivious to the young woman's presence, within earshot of his remark, JR had gone too far. Bobby glared at him before taking Jenna's arm. "Let's go for a walk, Jenna" he suggested. "You deserve an explanation."

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	286. Chapter 287

Bobby made to take hold of Jenna's hand as they began to walk away from the house. Shaken and confused, the young woman shrugged him off and picked up speed causing him to quicken his pace to keep up with her.

"Stay here, honey" Sue Ellen advised Charlie, placing her hand gently on the little girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, your mama and Bobby are just going for a little walk." Charlie looked at Sue Ellen anxiously but remained where she was. For the first time in ages her mother had seemed to be happy but that had all changed in the last few minutes, the young girl worried.

Making sure that they were out of earshot Bobby began to speak. "Jenna, you mustn't pay any heed to JR. He's jealous and malicious." "What did he mean?" Jenna demanded through gritted teeth, tears stinging her eyes. Bobby paused to formulate his lie. "Who was she?" Jenna interjected angrily before he could respond. "The married woman that you had the affair with, I mean."

Bobby shook his head. If only that had been the case, he thought. That would have made all the trouble that followed worth it. "There wasn't anybody" he eventually replied. "Pam and I made a mistake rushing into marriage so quickly, that was all. JR is just trying to stir up trouble." Jenna stared at him doubtfully, wanting to believe him but knowing deep down that he wasn't telling her the truth.

"Why would you and Pam going your separate ways bother JR? I would have thought that he would have been pleased to see the back of her given that she's Digger's daughter?" "He was. It's complicated, that's all. You know the rivalry that has always existed between us, don't you?"

Jenna shook her head, unconvinced. "Why did JR and his wife leave Southfork then?" Bobby sighed at the fact that the young woman was edging ever closer to the truth. "There was conflict between JR and I at work and it all became too much. Plus, Sue Ellen wanted her own home to bring the children up in. I told you, Jenna, about JR taking over the company and buying me out, didn't I?"

"I want to believe you, Bobby, but…" "If you want to believe me Jenna, then do!" he interrupted. "Things have been great between us in the last few weeks. Don't read too much into what JR said. You know what he's capable of."

The need to believe that she had been rescued by her first love got the better of Jenna. Trying to dismiss the doubts that still plagued her mind she relented and apologised. "No need, honey" Bobby told her, relieved that he had managed to smooth things over albeit with obfuscation and lies. "Come on, let's go to the treehouse. Do you remember what we used to get up to there?"

Back at the house the guests were beginning to leave. "Mrs Ewing, what can I say? I'm sorry for my bad behaviour. There was absolutely no excuse" Mark told Miss Ellie. Miss Ellie smiled ruefully. "It's alright, Mark. It wouldn't be a Ewing event without a punch up. Pam, it was lovely to see you. You know you are always welcome here." Pam kissed her former mother-in-law on the cheek and promised to meet her for lunch soon.

As they waited for Mark's car to be brought round Pam waved to Sue Ellen. "I can't wait to read your column" she told her. Sue Ellen smiled, excited by the challenge that lay ahead for her. JR grimaced, unable to conceal his feelings on the subject. "Honey, we need to wake the children and go" he told Sue Ellen grumpily.

Assessing the situation Sue Ellen quickly concluded that it would be pointless to argue with him. An hour later they were back at home and Sue Ellen decided tactically to avoid confrontation with JR by focusing purposely on the needs of her children. Her mind raced about what might follow the children being put down for bed. JR's mood had obviously changed yet again owing to Pam's inadvertent reminder to him that his wife had taken a job that brought her into close contact with other men. Trying to remember the advice that her therapist had given her she decided that she would initiate the discussion with him rather than to let him stew and then explode.

Once the children were settled she fetched him a drink and sat down next to him. "We need to talk" she began. JR took a slug of his drink, ready to respond. Determined not to lose control of the conversation that was about to follow, Sue Ellen continued before JR had a chance to wade in. "You're my husband, I know you and I love you. I realise that what happened today could be construed as confirmation of your doubts about the wisdom of my taking on the magazine job. I accept that. In so far as I might have been seen to have been overly friendly with the rider who won the rodeo I admit I was in the wrong. At times I know that I gain pleasure from making you feel jealous and insecure. Perhaps it's my somewhat skewed way of keeping you in line. I know I need to work on that but, at the same time, you need to address what keeps blighting our marriage. You can't keep me caged in, JR. You have to let me have a little personal space."

JR was somewhat taken aback by Sue Ellen's apology. He had expected a self-justificatory and argumentative position from her. "You know how to push my buttons, honey, don't you?" he asked, his tone sadly resigned as opposed to angry. "I don't want to keep having the same fight, Sue Ellen. It only makes the two of us miserable. We have come a long way since I admitted that I had done wrong. I want to go further than that to establish a settled and happy life for us together. I love you almost to the point of obsession and even that may be wrong. I think we need to see Dr Ashworth again."

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	287. Chapter 288

JR sidled up to the young man sitting alone at the bar. It hadn't taken Harry long to locate him. It had crossed JR's mind to ask Harry to arrange for some of his "heavies" to have the conversation but he had then decided that, this time, he needed to do it in person.

Dusty looked up from his beer. He wasn't exactly surprised to see JR Ewing standing there. His researches had told him that the man was jealous and vengeful particularly where his wife was concerned and he had to admit that he had pushed his luck at the rodeo.

"Can I help you?" Dusty asked coolly. "Stay away from my wife, Farlow" JR told him, his tone leaving no doubt about the seriousness of his warning. "Or what?" Dusty asked, appearing unperturbed. "Or there will be an accident, one that will put paid to your rodeo riding days forever, do you understand?"

Dusty laughed quietly. "You don't scare me, Ewing" he replied. "It's your problem that you have a wife who is so pretty and, well, friendly with it." JR clenched his fist in temper ready to take the first swing but then he decided against it. Dusty Farlow was likely to be very handy when it came to fighting and, on top of that, he had an appointment to get to. "Don't say you haven't been warned" he told Dusty through gritted teeth. "Leave Sue Ellen alone."

JR walked away although the temptation to return and make a mess of the cowboy's face was strong. Dusty smiled at the bartender who seemed relieved that JR was leaving. "I wouldn't take JR Ewing on" the man advised Dusty. "You will only come off worst. He's a powerful man in these parts. No matter how pretty his wife is she isn't worth it." Dusty shrugged his shoulders but made no response. JR didn't intimidate him, he thought as he drained his glass and ordered another beer.

In town JR glanced at his watch. He was late. Entering the consulting rooms, he saw Sue Ellen. She was flicking through a magazine and intermittently looking at the clock. "Honey, I'm sorry I'm late. My meeting ran over" he lied, before sitting down next to her and kissing her lightly on the cheek. So far, everything was going to plan. Now he needed to ensure that his wife was tugged into line and he knew exactly how to go about it.

Maggie popped her head around the door. "Good, you're both here, please come in" she told them. Gesturing for the couple to sit down the therapist scrutinised them. "It's always good to see you both. How are things?" she asked as Sue Ellen and JR settled themselves on the sofa. It was something of a loaded question because Maggie now knew them. If they were back with her there must be trouble, she quickly concluded.

Before Sue Ellen could answer JR responded. "Not great actually." Sue Ellen stared at him. "I wouldn't put it quite as strongly as that?" she commented. Maggie held out her hand signalling for JR to continue. This had never happened before. Usually it was Sue Ellen who had all the gripes about their marriage with JR remaining on the back foot.

Trying not to smirk, JR embarked on the sorry tale of his wife's very public flirtation and how it had made him feel. Maggie and Sue Ellen listened carefully, the latter beginning to feel very guilty as her husband described the torment that she put him through where other men were concerned.

When he had finished Maggie addressed Sue Ellen in a quiet and calm tone. "Do you accept what JR has just said about your behaviour at the rodeo, Sue Ellen?" Sue Ellen nodded, embarrassed. "Can you explain why you did it please?"

Sue Ellen took a deep breath before answering. Through the process of therapy she was gaining insight into her relationship with JR although she realised that the response that she was about to make hardly portrayed her in the best of lights.

"I do it to gain your attention, JR, and it works. Making you jealous ensures that all your interest is focused on me" she told him, her voice almost a whisper. "Can you explain in a little more detail?" Maggie asked. Sue Ellen nodded. "You see, there are times when I can't believe that you chose to marry me. I've never really understood why it was me that you picked when you could have had pretty much anybody you liked. My fear is that one day you will lose interest in me and the painful fact is that there are hundreds of women who would jump to take my place. So, I guess I like to make you feel jealous of me to reel you back in so that you couldn't care less about any other woman than me."

JR shook his head attempting to appear sad. "Sue Ellen, how many more times do I need to tell you that you are the only woman for me? I know I made a mistake with Mandy but I quickly realised it and I would never do that again. However, it seems that no matter what I do I'm not going to be allowed to move on from that episode."

"Sue Ellen?" Maggie asked, almost feeling sorry for JR. "I have been torturing you, haven't I" she asked him, now upset and more than a little ashamed. JR nodded, masking his glee at the extent to which he was manipulating her and the therapist.

"The question is what can you do to resolve this issue?" Maggie asked. "I need to stop trying to make you jealous and behave like the dutiful wife that you deserve. I'm so sorry" Sue Ellen told him with determination in her voice. "And you, JR? What can you do to help Sue Ellen's insecurity?" the therapist enquired. "I need to keep on rebuilding your trust in me. I have been trying, honey."

Sue Ellen nodded to confirm that her husband was telling the truth. "You also need to keep communicating with each other. Raise problems before they escalate and, crucially, use your free time to be with each other, to do things together, not to avoid socialising with others, because that's only normal, but to make sure the focus is on each other as a couple. Now, I reckon that's progress. Shall we meet again in a fortnight and review matters?" Maggie stood and guided them to the door.

Stepping out into the daylight Sue Ellen took the opportunity to apologise once more. JR grasped her hand and pulled her into an alleyway. In between passionate kisses, his body pressed firmly against hers, she finally uttered the words he wanted to hear. "After I have fulfilled my commitment and written next month's column I'm parting company with the magazine" she told him. "Are you sure?" he asked her deviously. "Completely. Your happiness must come first."

Tbc

 **Thank you for the reviews and ideas. They are helpful : )**


	288. Chapter 289

JR kissed Sue Ellen again, this time even more passionately. "If I didn't have a very important meeting this afternoon I would have checked us into a hotel" he murmured to her, grinding himself against her thigh, leaving no doubt about his lust for her.

"I'm meeting Pam for lunch" Sue Ellen replied as their kiss fell away. "Your mother asked to have the children for the day. I could always come and see you at the office later?" JR grinned wickedly. "That's a great idea, sugar, come about half past three?" "Perfect, I can do a little shopping after lunch until then."

Smoothing her skirt down and making sure that her blouse was tucked in properly she took her leave, walking towards the restaurant where she and Pam had agreed to meet. JR took himself off in the opposite direction, pausing for a second to turn to look back at his wife. As he watched her striding purposefully into the distance he smirked evilly. Now he had her right back where he wanted her and it felt good. Not even the fact that she persisted in meeting up with Pamela Barnes could take the shine off the day for him. As long as the obnoxious woman kept out of his way he could live with her friendship with his wife, for the time being at least, he thought to himself.

Sue Ellen arrived at the restaurant to find Pam waiting for her. "I've ordered the drinks" Pam told her, kissing her friend lightly on the cheek. They studied the menu for a few minutes and discussed what they were going to order before the conversation moved on. "How are things with Mark?" Sue Ellen asked. Pam sighed dreamily. "Just wonderful" she replied. "I take it then that it didn't bother you that Bobby brought Jenna Wade to the rodeo?" Sue Ellen asked, conscious of the conflict that had broken out between the two men at the event. Pam shook her head firmly. "Not one bit. I just feel sorry for Jenna. If she knew what had really happened…."

The two women fell silent, each embarrassed in their own way by what had been alluded to. Pam knew that Bobby's feelings for Sue Ellen were not reciprocated by her but there were still times when the latter doubted her former sister-in-law's confidence in that, the memory of a few near misses between her and her brother-in-law still strong, still causing her to feel guilty. "You do know, don't you?" Sue Ellen asked anxiously. "Yes" Pam replied forcefully. "I'm sorry. Let's change the subject."

"I'm giving up the magazine column" Sue Ellen told her. "You've hardly even started yet?" Pam asked, surprised. Until then Sue Ellen had always spoken so positively and which such excitement about the venture. Sue Ellen sighed. "I will honour my commitment to write the first piece but that's it I'm afraid. It turns out to be more trouble than it's worth to be completely honest."

Pam stared at her, pausing for thought before responding. "JR didn't like what happened at the rodeo, did he?" she eventually asked. Sue Ellen looked down into her glass, unable to make eye contact with her friend. Pam knew her and her husband better than she had ever imagined, she mused.

A lull fell in the conversation as the waitress approached their table to take their orders. Sue Ellen was relieved by the intrusion. She knew and trusted Pam well but she wasn't sure how much information she should impart realising that JR wouldn't welcome too much detail about their marriage and its workings being given to the young woman.

They handed their menus back and the waitress retreated. "Sue Ellen?" Pam enquired anxiously. "Has something happened between you and JR?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes and no. He made it abundantly clear that my behaviour at the rodeo distressed him where that competitor was concerned but I know there was more to it than that. He didn't care much for the fashion shoot either. He accused me of deliberately trying to make him jealous in therapy today and, although I hate to admit it, there is more than a bit of truth there. The reality is that if I carry on being involved with the magazine I would only be heightening the insecurity that has dominated our marriage for so long and I can't risk that because I do love him and I do want to be with him. Plus, there are the children to think about."

"So, it's all your fault then?" Pam eventually asked "JR's jealousy and need to control you don't come into it, do they? As long as he is getting what he wants it's all good between the two of you?" Sue Ellen couldn't help but feel a little irritated by the way that Pam characterised her marriage, probably because, deep down, she knew that she was correct, but she didn't want an argument right then.

"I'm not trying to defend JR. He is who he is and I have to accept that. If I have to appease him to keep us stable as a couple then that's what I just have to do. I have a lot to lose if my marriage fails, more than he has in fact."

Pam shook her head vigorously. "No, Sue Ellen. He's the one that has the most to lose. JR would never divorce you. Can't you see that? Whenever there have been issues between you before he has been almost rabid to win you back. You are the one who wields all the power in your relationship. That's how I see it anyway. You could have stuck to your guns and there wouldn't have been a thing that JR would have done about it."

Sue Ellen sighed. "You may be right but it's too late now. I've done it. I've told JR that I'm prepared to stay at home and, as soon as I said that, things immediately improved between us."

Sensing that it was time to change the direction of their conversation because arguing any further would do more harm than good, Pam decided to acknowledge that it had to be Sue Ellen's decision and, if that was what it would take to make her and JR happy again, then so be it. Changing tack by asking about the children, the two young women instantly became more relaxed and began to enjoy their lunch together. It really wasn't worth jeopardising their friendship to debate the matter any further. The die was cast, Sue Ellen had made her bed and would now have to lie in it, Pam decided somewhat sadly.

Two hours later and Sue Ellen was exiting the elevator and entering the offices of Ewing Oil. The secretaries stood to attention at the sight of their boss's wife having been told by JR to look out for her arrival. "Mrs Ewing, how nice to see you" Barbara, the senior secretary, greeted her. "Mr Ewing will just be a couple of minutes. Please, take a seat."

Sue Ellen waited a while before observing the door to JR's office open and a group of men, followed by JR, coming out. JR shook hands with each of them warmly and bade them farewell before turning his attention to his wife. "Hello, honey. You haven't been waiting long have you?" he asked, holding his hand out for her.

"Barbara, Mrs Ewing and I are not to be disturbed. If anyone calls please just take a message" he instructed as he closed the door behind them, not caring that the staff would immediately know what he had in mind. Once the door was shut he pulled Sue Ellen towards him forcefully. "Come here, darlin" he told her, kissing her roughly, walking her back towards the sofa, leaving her in no doubt about how he intended them to spend the rest of the afternoon. As she submitted to him she convinced herself that Pam had been wrong and she had been right. This was the way to put her marriage back on track.

 **I'm going to be away for the next three weeks. Thanks for reading and reviewing : )**


	289. Chapter 290

Despite her first column being deemed a complete success Sue Ellen remained resolute that it would be her last. Concluding that it was not worth the marital strife that it would undoubtedly cause to continue with her involvement in the magazine she redoubled her efforts as a wife and mother, much to the delight of JR who rewarded her with additional indulgences and attention.

Meanwhile, the construction of their house moved on apace, JR having been determined that his family would be settled in residence before Christmas. When the work had got to the point where it was now much easier to envisage what their home would be like he handed the reins for furnishing and interior design happily to his wife, confident that her excellent taste and eye for detail would result in a property that was befitting of their status. Not that they wanted a "show home" necessarily though, being mindful of the fact that their three young children would be living there with them, which necessitated warmth and comfort as well as style.

"This will be the children's playroom" Sue Ellen told Miss Ellie whom she had invited for a guided tour of what still remained a shell of the building. Miss Ellie nodded as she attempted to envisage what the ground floor of the house would look like. It wasn't going to be as big as Southfork but there definitely would not be a shortage of space, she concluded, happy to note that her eldest son and his wife had entered a sustained period of harmony of late.

"And this will be JR's study" Sue Ellen announced as they moved across what would be the hallway to another room on the other side of the property. "We figured he would get more peace to work at this end of the house." "Are you sure it will be ready on time?" Miss Ellie asked. Sue Ellen nodded vigorously. "You know JR, Miss Ellie. He has the construction company knee deep in penalty clauses for failure to complete on time. He leaves nothing to chance."

Miss Ellie smiled to herself as she surveyed her surroundings. She and Jock had made many mistakes in their upbringing of their eldest son but, where contractual obligations and getting what he wanted were concerned, he had become a master.

"How's Pam?" Miss Ellie asked, temporarily distracted from the house tour. "She's just great" Sue Ellen responded. "Her relationship with Mark goes from strength to strength. She's hoping for a Christmas proposal. She deserves to be happy after all…"

Sue Ellen refrained from completing her sentence. Her mother-in-law was well aware of how badly Bobby had treated his young wife. Nothing more on that topic needed to be said. "I'm glad" Miss Ellie eventually replied. "She's a lovely girl and you are right. She and Bobby weren't exactly a match made in heaven."

The two women fell silent for a minute or two as they made their way to what would eventually be the kitchen. They stared at the high vaulted ceiling and the newly installed windows designed to permit light to flood into the room. Miss Ellie surmised that of all the rooms in the house this was likely to be the most impressive as well as the most used. She walked to the back windows and observed a number of workmen tiling what was to be the outdoor pool. It was going to be considerably larger than the pool at Southfork, signifying the importance that was being placed on outdoor living and activity for the young family. "Very impressive" she commented. "Your architect has done an excellent job."

Sue Ellen smiled widely. This had been her idea- a huge kitchen/dining room leading out into the garden, the focal point of the home, somewhere that they would entertain friends and family casually and informally, the role of hostess belonging firmly to her as the lady of the house.

Miss Ellie sighed, momentarily distracted by the various directions in which her family were heading. It was ironic really that out of her three sons it was JR, the bad boy, who had settled his future first. Gary was somewhere in California, no doubt drifting through life as ever, hopefully not drinking again though. As for Bobby….

"Miss Ellie, are you alright?" Sue Ellen asked anxiously, noting the change in her mother-in-law's demeanour. "I was just thinking about Bobby" Miss Ellie responded. "Is he still seeing Jenna?" Miss Ellie nodded. "Yes, he is but I get the distinct impression that Jenna is far more invested in the relationship than Bobby. Then there is that lovely little girl, Charlie. She's becoming closer to Bobby by the day. She will be heartbroken if it doesn't work out for her mama with him. I feel as if she is looking for a proper father but she isn't going to find that in my son unless he steps up to the plate and commits himself properly to the two of them."

Sue Ellen grimaced, reminded of her torrid history with her brother-in-law. These days she and JR tended to avoid anything other than the most limited of contact with Bobby. Interactions were kept polite but definitely at arms' length. It was a wonder that Jenna, a young woman who had been forced to grow up very quickly, wasn't suspicious about the relationship, or rather lack of it, between the three of them.

"He needs to grow up, doesn't he?" Sue Ellen ventured cautiously. Bobby was still his mother's son after all. Miss Ellie nodded. "He needs to realise that you don't always get everything you want in life. Sometimes you have to settle for the best that can be devised in the circumstances." Her remark, albeit inadvertent, struck a chord in her daughter-in-law. Having done battle with JR over working for the magazine it had been she who had backed down and compromised, sacrificing something that she enjoyed and, surprisingly, seemed good at in the interests of happiness in her marriage.

"You're completely right, Miss Ellie" she replied. "Bobby and Jenna could be happy enough if he did as she has done and left the past behind."

Tbc


	290. Chapter 291

"Please just be polite" Sue Ellen warned her husband as they turned into the driveway of Southfork Ranch. "This means a lot to your mama and there can't be any drama for her sake." JR shook his head grumpily. "I don't even understand how she thinks that bridges can be built by this sort of thing but, for you darlin, I will try and keep a lid on it."

Sue Ellen left it there. Only she knew how the visit by Miss Ellie to their new home, still under construction, had ended. From the minute she and JR had left Southfork to move into their rented mansion she had felt bad for her mother-in-law, Lucy as well. Neither of them had done anything wrong and, although their decision to leave was definitely the right one, she felt guilty.

Now, she understood just how much of a toll the fracturing of the family had taken upon Miss Ellie. As they wandered from room to room of the new house Sue Ellen had discerned a distinct drop in her mother-in-law's mood. Albeit that the new house was on Southfork land, in effect just a few minutes' drive from the main house, the reality was that JR, his wife and their children were destined never to return to the home that she and Jock had made for their family. The thought was all too depressing. If Jock had still been alive he would have fixed things, prevented all of this from happening, she determined sadly.

"Miss Ellie? Is everything alright?" Sue Ellen asked, sensing the truth. Miss Ellie shook her head, on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry, Sue Ellen. I don't want to spoil what is such an exciting time for you and JR but I am so, so lonely these days. I can't tell you how much." Sue Ellen put her arm around her mother-in-law and guided her out of the house towards her car. "Let's sit in here and talk" she suggested, opening the passenger door.

By the time she had got into the driver's seat Miss Ellie had dissolved into tears. Sue Ellen remained silent, allowing the tears to disperse before speaking further. "I appreciate that you regard this all as final" she eventually ventured "but things will be better than you imagine once we have moved in here. We will be so close to you and our door will always be open."

Miss Ellie wiped her eyes and sobbed quietly. For months she had kept her feelings secret and put a brave face on, largely for Lucy who had been greatly unsettled by the departure of her aunt and uncle and young cousins. Now, however, it was all too much. "It's just not the same, Sue Ellen. Jock and I became used to having a house full of family. It was our dream for our grandchildren to be brought up at Southfork, under our roof, all of us together. Now I only really have Lucy. Bobby spends so much time away from the house these days and, in some ways, that's not such a bad thing after all he has done but…"

"It means that basically there's only you and Lucy at home?" Sue Ellen interjected gently. Miss Ellie nodded. "I miss Jock so much too. It's horrible being without him. I never thought that the absence of a man from my life would be so hard. Jock was my husband for thirty- five years and, for the most part, we were very happy. Losing him and then you and JR and the children has been just terrible. Pamela's departure as well was hard because I had become very fond of her."

Sue Ellen patted her hand and attempted to reassure her that she would always play an intrinsic part in their lives. They would be next door neighbours all too soon and in and out of each other's houses. However, her words did not assuage her mother-in-law's distress and Sue Ellen knew the reason why. "It's the bad blood between us and Bobby, isn't it?" she asked. "Yes. It's not your fault but now that he's with Jenna I did hope that maybe we could all put the past behind us."

That was how the idea of Sunday lunch at Southfork had come about between them. The whole family, together with Jenna and Charlie, an attempt to move forward, to repair past damage and let bygones be bygones, they had convinced each other.

Now, however, as JR parked the car in front of the house Sue Ellen was riven with uncertainty. What had seemed a good idea at the time and had cheered Miss Ellie up somewhat suddenly didn't hold the same appeal. The pained expression on JR's face for a start hardly filled her with confidence. He was there under sufferance, born from his indulgence of her and not from a wish to mend fences with his younger brother. That much she had appreciated from the moment that she had proposed it. JR's animosity towards Bobby wasn't going to change. Her husband did not forgive and he did not forget even where family was concerned. He had driven Bobby out of Ewing Oil and, if he had his way, would prefer to see him out of their lives altogether.

As they lifted the children from the back of the car they were greeted by Miss Ellie and Lucy. Lucy excitedly took Ella's hand. "Come on, Ella, Charlie's here!" the young girl told her excitedly. John Ross held his hands out to Miss Ellie. "Grandma!" he exclaimed prompting his grandmother to clap her hands delightedly. "Clever boy" she praised him as she lifted him into her arms and smothered him with kisses. Aaron squealed and kicked his legs in his daddy's arms happily.

"Come on in" Miss Ellie told them. "We can have a drink before lunch and catch up." JR held his arm out for Sue Ellen to take the lead, suddenly unsure of himself. The last time he had seen Bobby was at the rodeo when he had done everything in his power to avoid him. Now there was no way of avoiding him. He took a deep breath as they entered the living room. This was going to be hard work he told himself.

Tbc


	291. Chapter 292

Sue Ellen followed Miss Ellie and Lucy into the house. JR kept behind them, evidencing his reticence. Sue Ellen glanced behind her and gave her husband a look that told him to be mindful of the advice that she had give him on their way.

They entered the living room to find Bobby and Jenna sitting close together on the sofa, drinks in hand. Bobby stood to greet them. "Sue Ellen, JR, I hope you are both well?" His tone was formal, stilted even, causing Jenna to look at the three of them anxiously. Ever since the rodeo she had known, deep down, that something was very wrong with the relationship between Bobby and his brother and sister-in-law. Bobby's reassurances that the problem lay in fraternal rivalry over the ownership and control of Ewing Oil had proved hollow and unconvincing to her even though she had chosen not to challenge him, preferring to place her doubts to the back of her mind in the interest of furthering their relationship.

Jenna Wade had been a wild young woman, hell bent on adventure and excitement to the detriment of her engagement to Bobby. However, her life experiences including her escape with Charlie from the clutches of the vicious and cruel Naldo had taught her a lot. She wasn't naïve and Bobby underestimated her ability to assess situations and pass judgment on them accurately and astutely. No, she told herself, there was more to the issue than she had been told. Plus, there was something in Miss Ellie's expression that indicated that this lunch was much more than just a Sunday get together. She needed to know.

"Very well, thank you Bobby" Sue Ellen hesitantly replied but she made no move to kiss her brother-in-law, moving quickly to the armchair where JR had placed himself. JR made no comment, his baby son distracting him momentarily by wriggling in his arms. "Uh, I think Aaron needs changing" he informed his wife. Sue Ellen scooped up her young son and excused herself politely, relieved that she was leaving the tense atmosphere that currently prevailed.

"Drink, JR?" Miss Ellie asked, desperate for improvement. "Yes, thank you, mama. My usual please?" As she poured the drink Miss Ellie was pleased to note that the children at least appeared to be getting on famously. Ella was showing Lucy and Charlie her dolly and she giggled hysterically when they made it do a funny dance for her. John Ross was toddling around, interested in his surroundings, corrected gently now and again by his daddy to prevent him from falling over.

As JR had his drink passed to him Sue Ellen re-entered the room with the baby. "All better now!" she announced attempting to appear bright and cheerful. Silence descended between the adults. "I went to see JR's and Sue Ellen's new house a few days ago. The work is coming on apace and it is looking very good indeed. Will it be ready for Christmas?" Miss Ellie, began, trying to find a topic of conversation that would be uncontroversial. "Yes mama, definitely" JR replied firmly.

"I'm surprised that you have moved out of here" Jenna spoke, pushing for answers "particularly to a rental property first. I mean, if you were determined to have your own place that's fine, but why couldn't you have stayed here whilst your house was being built?" Sue Ellen looked at Bobby nervously.

"Since Jock died there has been a lot of conflict in the family, Jenna. JR and Sue Ellen decided that it was better for them as a family to move out. I wasn't exactly thrilled by their decision but it's turned out to be the right one." Sue Ellen sighed with relief but didn't go unnoticed as Miss Ellie interjected to answer Jenna's question.

"Now I think lunch will be ready. Shall we go through?" As they reached the table the adults pre-occupied themselves with making sure that the children were seated first before taking their usual places. Silence descended once more as Teresa served the starters.

"You're unusually quiet, JR." Jenna eventually spoke. "My abiding memory of you is that you always had a lot to say for yourself" she probed. "Things were different then" JR muttered, buttering his bread roll. "How so?" Jenna shot back. "Like my mama said, daddy's death changed us all. Bobby and I just don't get on, do we?" He gave his brother a glance indicating that, for once, he expected and needed his help.

"That's right, Jenna. It's not something I'm proud of and I would like the chance to show JR things can be different. I guess that's why we are here today, with Christmas coming up and all…" Jenna looked at Bobby uncertainly. Had she been mistaken or did he at times look at Sue Ellen in a particular way, like there was some shared past history between them?

Lucy, in on the secret, decided to distract the adults from the awkwardness between them by chattering about school and asking Charlie how she was settling down and whether she was making friends. For several minutes it seemed almost like the old times when Lucy's inane chatter would divert the attention of the rest of the family away from their problems and dysfunctionality.

Sue Ellen complimented Miss Ellie on her choice of courses whilst JR stared sullenly at his plate, eating but not particularly enjoying the meal even though there was nothing wrong with what had been prepared.

Afterwards the children went up to the nursery to play. Aaron fell asleep in his mama's arms, which would normally prompt the couple to take their leave. However, conscious of Miss Ellie's upset at the manner in which her family had become fractured, Sue Ellen didn't consider it right to go just yet. She placed her hand on JR's back and pushed him gently towards the living room, ignoring his obvious irritation at her decision to stay a little longer.

With the children tucked away upstairs Jenna decided enough was enough. "Thank you for lunch, Miss Ellie. It was delicious" she began. "However, I am left with the distinct feeling that there's a secret being kept by all four of you. Bobby, you have made certain assurances to me about our future. If there's something that I need to know, that might affect the way I see the future or come back at some point to haunt us I think I deserve to know. "

Tbc

 **Hope everyone had a lovely break. Thank you for reading and reviewing**


	292. Chapter 293

All eyes were on Jenna as she spoke. There was a forcefulness and determination in her tone that told them that she meant business. JR stood up. "Jenna, you've been away for a long time and a lot has happened in the family. You cannot understand how the death of our daddy has affected things between us all. You're not in the oil business. You have a fashion boutique for goodness sake. Concentrate on that and stop fantasising about non-existent Ewing secrets. You're not in Italy now. This is Texas where business is business and the fact that Bobby is my brother didn't come into it. I wanted Ewing Oil for myself and now I have got it. Mama, thank you for lunch but it's time for us to leave. The children will need settling soon. Come on, Sue Ellen."

Jenna was dumbstruck by JR's counter-attack, failing to remember that was always how he tended to operate when he felt threatened. She looked to Bobby for support but her boyfriend simply stared at the floor. "Bobby?" she asked as she watched JR and Sue Ellen go upstairs to fetch the children. He paused before responding. "JR's right, Jenna. I could go into all the why's and wherefores with you but what would be the point? JR is now the sole owner of Ewing Oil and nothing is going to change that. I must decide what I am going to do with the money paid to me for the buy-out. That's a dilemma in itself. You asking questions only re-opens old wounds."

"Bobby" Miss Ellie warned, scared that the telling-off that Jenna had received from both her sons would impede any chance of her continuing with the relationship with her youngest son. If Bobby was ever going to move on and have a normal life he and Jenna had to make a go of their relationship, she thought. Pamela had been left high and dry, unable to dissuade Bobby from his feelings for Sue Ellen. If things didn't work out for him and Jenna then she simply didn't know where he, and the family for that matter, would go from there. "I'm sorry, Jenna" Bobby eventually told her. "I'm sensitive about the way that JR simply ousted me from the company. It was a humiliating experience and not one that I am keen to keep on discussing. That's all."

Miss Ellie sighed, tired of all of the lies but unable to set the record straight because of the obvious ramifications. She liked Jenna, she always had even though the young woman had broken Bobby's heart all those years ago. Jenna was a free-spirit, a little like she had been when she was young, she reflected. However, unlike Jock who had come into her life and tamed her, Bobby had been unable to break Jenna.

The young woman who now sat before her was wordly-wise, intelligent and astute, a true survivor. She had returned to Dallas intent on reclaiming the man that she now realised she should never have run from. Was it fair to her to leave her oblivious to all that had happened since she had been gone? To lie to her about the effect of Sue Ellen joining the family on Bobby? Sadly, Miss Ellie concluded that this was the only way that there could ever be any stability in the family for the future. If Jenna left what was Bobby going to do next? She had seen for herself only today the way that her son still looked at his sister-in-law. Sly, sideways glances betrayed his continued feelings, spelling further disaster for them all if he tried to act on them.

Jenna watched as JR and Sue Ellen took their leave, pausing only for Miss Ellie to kiss each of the children and say goodbye. She hadn't responded to Bobby because, in his words, what was the point? However, deep down in the pit of her stomach, she felt she knew the truth. Bobby and Sue Ellen had had an affair, she concluded. Bitter, vengeful and unable to let go, JR had broken them up and taken his wife away from Southfork, away from his brother and away from temptation. Then he had forced Bobby out of the family company, marginalising him for all time, hoping that he would just go.

Was it truly over between them, she wondered. Now and again she had observed the way that Bobby looked at Sue Ellen, the latter refusing to meet his gaze, no doubt for fear of angering her husband or giving the game away. Was Bobby just using her to try to overcome his feelings? Her thoughts turned to Pamela. She had never been given a proper explanation for why things hadn't worked out between her and Bobby, always leaving her with the suspicion that there was more to it. Running away and eloping only to admit it was over within a very short space of time had never really made sense to her. Bobby had married Pam knowing she was a Barnes, he had brought her back to Southfork when he didn't have to, why wouldn't he have tried to make a go of things with her then? The answer was obvious. There was another woman in Bobby's life, one who occupied all of his thoughts and feelings. Pamela had never stood a chance.

"I think it's time that Charlie and I went home" Jenna announced. "Miss Ellie, as ever it's been lovely to see you and I apologise if my inquisitiveness has caused any trouble. There are just some things that I am struggling to work out. Perhaps JR is right and my absence abroad for all of those years has left me unattuned to everything that has happened here, particularly in the wake of the loss of Jock. Anyway, I'm sorry that's all."

Miss Ellie took Jenna's hand as she made to get up and reassured her that it wasn't unreasonable for her to want to understand why the family was in the state that it was in, particularly if her son had made certain promises about their future. Things were still very raw though. She wasn't to know that this was the first time since JR and Sue Ellen had left that the family had all sat down at the same table. There were bridges to be built and it wouldn't happen overnight although at some point she remained confident that the value of being a family would enable her sons to patch things up.

"I'll come with you" Bobby offered as Jenna and Charlie got into her car. "No, Bobby. It's fine" she answered curtly. "I'd just like an evening on my own with my daughter. I will be in touch."

Tbc


	293. Chapter 294

Sue Ellen stared out of the car window pointedly refusing to make conversation with JR. Every now and then she turned back to check on their children. Ella was the only one who remained awake, her mama occasionally offering soothing words when the little girl became restless and at risk of disturbing her brothers.

"Darlin?" JR asked anxiously. In his haste to leave Southfork he hadn't considered for one moment his wife's feelings about all that had happened. Now, he had the message loud and clear. Sue Ellen was upset with him, angry even, if her facial expression was anything to go by.

"Not now, JR" she responded quietly. "We will talk later, once the children are settled for the night." JR sighed in exasperation. What could he have done to make his wife in such a bad mood with him, he pondered as he turned into the driveway.

The next hour or so was spent in undertaking the bedtime routine that had been in place ever since they had moved. Notwithstanding that the day had been far from normal for the children Sue Ellen was determined not to detract from what was now an established and settled regime, one which would ensure that all three children would sleep through the night without interruption. Ella was the last to go down after a short bedtime story and being tucked in with her favourite teddy bear.

Closing the nursery door softly behind them JR touched Sue Ellen's arm gently. She gestured with a nod of her head for him to follow her downstairs. He trailed behind her meekly, entering the kitchen after her, resolute that they would not end the day on bad terms.

He watched as she took two wine glasses from the cupboard and began to uncork a bottle of good red. He accepted the glass that she poured gratefully and took a seat at the table. "Sue Ellen?" he asked as he watched her join him. If she was going to tear a strip off him he might as well get it over and done with.

Sue Ellen paused and took a sip of wine before speaking. "Why did you lie to Jenna today?" she asked eventually. "I mean why did you cover up what happened with your brother?" JR stared at her, confused. "Honey, how could I have told her the truth?" he responded gruffly. "Quite easily" she countered. "You heard what she said. Bobby has already given her an expectation for the future. Is it really fair to Jenna to keep her in the dark? Then there's her young daughter to think of!"

JR shook his head, still perplexed. "Sue Ellen I'm struggling to understand. How on earth could you have expected me to tell Jenna Wade the whole sorry story? I may hate him for what he did but when it comes down to it Bobby is still my brother!" Sue Ellen met his gaze, unconvinced. "No, it's not that" she eventually countered. "It's more than the Ewing family keeping its secrets from outsiders though, isn't it? This is about you, JR, and the way you feel about all that has happened."

"Don't be ridiculous, sugar. Bobby has never been a threat to me" he protested. Sue Ellen nodded in his direction confidently. "You can't admit that your younger brother was infatuated with me, can you? Does it make you feel less of a man to have had a rival for my affections in your own family?"

JR slammed his hand down on the table, startling his wife. "Was? He still is, Sue Ellen! I saw the way he looked at you today. He can't let it go, won't let it go and yes, you're right, that's a very harsh reality to have to come to terms with. My little brother wants to take my wife away from me! Ask yourself, sugar, how I could ever bring myself to disclose that to someone he's dating?"

Sue Ellen felt a mixture of relief, sympathy and shame. Relief at the fact that her husband had been able to be honest with her, sympathy for JR's sense of helplessness and plight and shame that she continued to command the attraction of her brother-in-law but was blithely oblivious to what was apparently only too evident to her husband.

Sue Ellen nodded, acknowledging defeat. JR was right. However unfair to Jenna this was not a story that could be told. They were all trapped in the lie, even Pamela, Bobby's ex-wife who at least was finding happiness in the arms of another, much better man.

She knew how to end their argument and make JR feel better. It was always the same, she mused. She grasped his hand and said sorry. Then she reassured him that whatever Bobby might feel about her it was not and would never be mutual. Then she stood up, refilled their glasses and invited him upstairs. She would apologise to him properly there, he was informed.

JR paused for a few seconds, still frustrated but then caved to the temptation of what he knew was to follow. He pursued her quickly up the stairs, spanking her bottom lightly. Once inside the bedroom they let passion take over, ripping each other's clothes off between deep, hungry kisses. JR pushed Sue Ellen up against the wall, grinding his erection into her body. His fingers moved deftly to her panties, her dress long discarded onto the floor, and removed them in one fell swoop. Not caring about getting into bed he lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around his hip before releasing his cock and entering her. She threw her head back in abandon and moaned as he began thrusting. This was what Bobby wanted to do to her but never would, he determined, as the sound of her gasps of pleasure told him she was close. "Go on, honey, come for me" he growled, removing his cock and then replacing it rapidly in the way he knew to send her over.

She giggled lightly as waves of pleasure coursed through her. Bucking his hips once or twice it was now his turn to climax. He moaned her name as he shot inside her warm, silky wetness. Sue Ellen belonged to him, no matter what, he decided as they uncoupled and fell into bed together exhausted.

Tbc


	294. Chapter 295

Sue Ellen dished up breakfast whilst JR dealt the morning post. He sighed as the opened envelopes revealed a series of invitations to prestigious social functions in Dallas for the fast-approaching Christmas season. His wife stopped what she was doing momentarily. "JR?" she asked, beginning what she was doing again to appease the protests of her children who were hungry and waiting.

"I'm afraid that Ewing Oil is the victim of its own success, honey" he replied resignedly. "Look at all these! If we attend all of them we'll never get moved into our new home, let alone have any peace as a family over the holidays." Once breakfast was served Sue Ellen took her seat. Alternating between spooning yogurt and smoothly pureed fruit into her youngest son's eager little mouth she inspected what they had received. "I guess we have to prioritise attending those that are the most high-profile and important and then politely decline the rest" she told JR. "We must also make sure that some of the parties we attend have a charitable purpose rather than just social or networking. Look at this one? The Cattleman's Club are pushing the boat out this year. I bet anyone who's anyone will be there."

JR paused eating and accepted the tastefully decorated invitation card from his wife. He harrumphed before responding. "We will have to take a table to this gala dinner, honey" he told her. "Can you contact mama today? She and Lucy ought to be there." Sue Ellen looked at him. "And Bobby?" she asked. "Don't get me wrong I'd rather that he didn't come but for appearance sake…"

"You had better tell mama that the invitation is extended to him and Jenna too" he answered, visibly irritated by the mention of his brother's name. Sue Ellen nodded solemnly as her thoughts turned to her brother-in-law. By the skin of his teeth Bobby had managed to sustain his relationship with Jenna after the fateful Sunday lunch at Southfork a few weeks earlier. Sue Ellen didn't understand how but, by a process of charm, earnest courtship and major efforts at romance, he had won the young woman over and was now determined, apparently, to try to make their relationship work.

JR rose from the table and put on his jacket. "Thanks, darlin. Say, how I about we have a quiet dinner in this evening and an early night after rather than go to the Oil Baron's as planned?" Sue Ellen nodded gratefully. "With all that we have coming up that would be infinitely preferable" she told him as she watched him kiss each of their children and bid them farewell with the customary "be good for mama." He picked up his briefcase and turned his attention to Sue Ellen. "See you later, sugar. Don't forget to call mama. Oh, and if you have time, you could sift through these and send our regrets to those that are obviously out of the question." "Yes, JR" Sue Ellen responded as he kissed her on the lips and waved the family goodbye. This was her life now, she reflected as she sipped her coffee and gently interacted with the children, the dutiful wife and mother that her own mother had trained her for all those years to become.

Shaking off her mild dissatisfaction she looked up to see the nanny, followed by the housekeeper, come in. "Good morning" she greeted them as she politely explained what the day had in store before retreating to what had become JR's den to call her mother-in-law. Now was as good a time as any, she reckoned.

Across town Pam had just arrived at work. Her boss, Liz, entered her office without knocking. Pam looked up from the stock inventory that she was inspecting. "Hello, Liz" she greeted the woman who bore an excited expression. "It's all coming in, thick and fast!" Liz told her. Pam clapped her hands gently. "Can we go and take a look?" she asked delightedly. "In a minute" Liz replied. "It's all being unloaded right now."

Pam poured herself and Liz a cup of coffee each. Sitting down on opposite sides of the desk Liz looked at her friend. "You look a bit tired?" Liz asked mischievously. Pam smiled widely. "Is it that obvious?" she giggled. "Out with Mark again?" the woman enquired, feigning innocence. "More like in with Mark again!" Pam replied before smiling widely. "Things are going so well, aren't they?" Pam nodded. "It's like my marriage to Bobby never existed, as if I never loved him let alone lived with him. Mark is so different. He is so loving and so attentive and, guess what, he's even helping Cliff. First, he has given him a job at Graison Industries and then he says that if all works out well he will try to help him to apply to be re-instated at the Texas State Bar."

Liz sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "Do you think he's about to propose? What with Christmas coming up and all?" Pam sighed dreamily. "I really hope so. It may not have been that long but I know that Mark is the one. Gosh, it must have been fate, meeting up with Sue Ellen that day and then bumping into him. She's the one who introduced us, you know."

"How is she? It's a pity that she gave up the magazine column. There was real potential there. Mind you, being married to JR Ewing, it isn't as if she needs a job, is it?" Pam shook her head firmly. "No, but Sue Ellen has hidden depths. I saw that when I lived at Southfork. She's smart as well as beautiful but he just treats her like some sort of trophy, a symbol of just how well he has done in life."

Unable to hide her contempt but aware that she had probably said too much already, Pam fell silent as her thoughts turned to her friend. JR did love Sue Ellen, of that there could be no doubt, but the life that he had her lead must, at least at times, feel sterile and unfulfilling, she pondered before snapping out of herself.

"I bet you that a lot of what's come in would look fantastic on her. She's bound to have loads of social occasions coming up. We should compile a list of what we think would be suitable and get her in for a VIP shopping experience. You know how I feel about her husband but there is one thing about him and that's his generosity where she's concerned. His cheque book is always open to Sue Ellen." Liz nodded gratefully. "Great idea. If it works we could roll out further invitations to other Dallas society ladies" she suggested, keen on the healthy commission that might be coming their way.

Tbc

 **Thanks as ever for reading and reviewing : )**


	295. Chapter 296

Sue Ellen watched, a glass of champagne in hand, as Pam and Liz paraded evening gown after evening gown in front of her. "They're all lovely" she told them, bewildered by the array of shapes, styles and colours. "You need to start trying some on" Pam suggested. "Tell us, what exactly is it that you're looking for?"

Sue Ellen paused to recollect just where it was that she and JR would be going over the holiday season. "Well the main function is the gala Christmas dinner at the Cattleman's Club. I need something really stand out for that." Pam giggled excitedly. "Mark's taking me to that one!" she told her friend. "Have you got a gown sorted?" Sue Ellen asked, happy for her friend but anxious that she might be leaving her choice of outfit rather late.

Pam nodded. "Mark bought it for me. I could never have afforded it otherwise." Sue Ellen smiled gently. Perhaps she and Pam weren't so different after all, both dependent on the men in their lives to buy them nice things and take them to fancy places.

"Better get going then" she ventured, placing the half-full flute of champagne on a side table. "I know just the one to start with" Liz commented, flicking quickly through the rail of specially selected gowns.

The two women watched carefully as Sue Ellen began trying on the garments, offering constructive criticism and, from time to time, summoning their tailor to clip and pin some of the gowns to show their beautiful customer just how they would look when they had been altered to fit her properly.

"That's the one!" both exclaimed as Sue Ellen stepped out of the dressing room wearing a fitted column of the finest, red silk. "I don't know" Sue Ellen commented. "It's rather low cut at the front and back isn't it?" "Well yes but it's not revealing anywhere else. It's sexy yet classy at the same time and definitely not slutty. I think it's a winner" Liz contributed. Pam nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Sue Ellen, you're young and you have a great figure. You don't want to look middle-aged and frumpy, do you?" Pam asked although, as her former sister-in-law, she knew what was at the back of her reservations.

Sue Ellen turned and looked at the back of the gown, straining her neck to see how it fitted. Liz hurried over with a large hand-held mirror to assist. "Your derriere looks perfect, Mrs Ewing" she complimented her. "How about I bring you some shoes?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Thank you, that would be most helpful" she replied.

Pam and Sue Ellen watched Liz retreat before resuming their conversation. "You're worried that JR will think that the gown is a little too much aren't you?" Pam asked eventually. Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes, particularly as Bobby is going to be there. I wanted to warn you about that but not in the presence of your colleague."

Pam shook her head firmly. "That doesn't bother me, Sue Ellen. I have to say I'm a little surprised though that JR would tolerate his brother at the same table as you both after all that has happened?" Sue Ellen sighed. "The Ewing family always sticks together, at least on the face of it. Bobby's absence would be bound to prompt some very pointed speculation, wouldn't it? Plus, it appears that he and Jenna are trying to make a go of their relationship."

"She's a fool. Has she not worked it out yet?" Pam asked, suddenly feeling a little confused. Why should she care that Jenna was ignoring the blindingly obvious? Was it perhaps because she had done the same for far too long and with such damaging consequences?

"She came very close, several weeks ago. I haven't seen you since but we all went to Southfork for Sunday lunch, to please Miss Ellie really, and Jenna started asking some very awkward questions about why JR and I left. That and JR ousting Bobby from the company. We really thought that it had all clicked into place for her and that would be that. However, they're still going strong, apparently."

Liz returned with several boxes of shoes. Sue Ellen selected a pair and put them on. Without wanting to appear immodest she knew that the gown looked fantastic on her now that she had the right footwear to go with it. "I'll take it!" she announced before returning to the dressing room, "JR will just have to live with it" she murmured under her breath as she removed the gown and placed it back on the hanger.

"Now, I need a dress for Christmas Day and one for the annual Ewing New Year's Eve party please?" she asked, poking her head discreetly through the curtain. Liz beamed. "Certainly, Mrs Ewing. I take it a formal day dress for Christmas Day and then another evening gown for New Year?" Sue Ellen nodded. "Yes, that's right, thank you."

Liz whisked the rail to one side for the moment and then retreated to the Women's Wear Department for further garments, leaving Sue Ellen and Pam alone once more. "Will she earn all the commission on what I buy?" Sue Ellen asked anxiously. "I mean, this wouldn't be happening without you, would it?"

Pam shook her head. "Don't worry. The deal is 50/50. Liz knows which side her bread is buttered on, Sue Ellen." Sue Ellen suddenly felt bad. "There was a time when you were in my shoes, able to spend money like there was no tomorrow…" Pam laughed. "I wouldn't go back to those days for all the cash in the world! Sue Ellen, I'm happy. I have all that I need, more in fact. My life improved immeasurably after I left Southfork. I have a man I love and a job I love. I don't need the Ewing millions to have a good life."

Sue Ellen fell silent, stung by her friend's inadvertent critique of the life that she was leading. "Oh, Sue Ellen! I'm sorry! My remarks weren't directed at you! JR loves you and you have a gorgeous family together. It's totally different…"

"It's alright, Pam. I know you weren't trying to get at me. It's just, it's just my life isn't all that it's cracked up to be" Sue Ellen whispered tearfully.

Before Pam could respond Liz returned with armfuls of clothing. "Let's see if any of this is suitable" she remarked cheerfully. "Yes of course, thank you" Sue Ellen responded, regaining her composure rapidly in the manner that she had been trained to.

Tbc


	296. Chapter 297

JR made to speak but then bit his tongue as Sue Ellen emerged from the dressing room. She looked stunning, too good in fact not to cause him considerable disquiet, but he realised that if he said anything he risked causing an argument and he didn't want that.

She had seemed distracted lately, out of sorts even. At first, he had put it down to the immense demands on her time, having to split herself between the children, him and the move into their new house, the extent of the arrangements for which had exceeded by a long way what they had expected. Subsequently though, he perceived slight irritation on her part, dissatisfaction, almost boredom with her lot in life and it concerned him.

He was trying his best to improve her spirits by being more attentive to her, taking the time to listen to her speak about her day, feigning interest in the outcome of her latest shopping trip or reports of Ella's progress at kindergarten. He had even taken to coming home early a couple of evenings each week to be with her and the children although it pained him to do so since the burden of running the company now fell solely on his shoulders.

She thanked him politely whenever he made the effort to take her out for dinner or to the theatre or Symphony. She also never refused his advances in the bedroom but, although she tried to make him feel that she was enjoying what he did to her, there was something distinctly missing from their encounters.

Now, looking at her, all ready to go to the social event of the season, he was worried. She looked so sexy in that red gown he knew that all eyes would be on her. Not that petty envy from the women in attendance bothered him. That was de rigueur where his wife was concerned. No, it was attention from other men that caused a knot of anxiety to tighten in his stomach.

It would be so easy for Sue Ellen to stray if she ever got fed up with life with him, that much he had always known. However, until recently, despite their troubles, he had never really had much cause for concern. She was a devoted wife and mother and he had no doubt that she loved him. However, there was something about her these days that troubled him, that made him scared that he was on the slippery slope to losing her.

He watched as she applied a final layer of bright red lipstick, a perfect match for the hue of her gown, and teased a stray strand of hair into place. She turned and looked at him, secretly struck by how handsome he always looked in his tuxedo. "Are you ready, honey?" he asked as she reached for her evening coat. "Yes, I think so" she answered without the slightest hint of excitement in her tone. Back in the day she would have relished an evening out like this, a chance to get dressed up and be seen in all her finery by the people who made up the highest echelon of Dallas society, JR mused worriedly.

"You look very nice" he told her as he held the door of the limo open for her. She stared at him before thanking him politely. Part of her had wanted him to go mad at the revealing nature of her gown, the way it was cut low front and back and how it clung to her body, accentuating her figure, belying what was beneath. His lack of any real comment other than the anodyne compliment that he had just uttered floored her. Perhaps he no longer cared if other men lusted after her, she wondered. What if this was it? The time when JR had grown tired of life with her and was searching for a way out, for something more exciting than the staid domesticity that now represented their marriage?

If only she knew what her husband was really thinking as he got into the limo and sat beside her. He wanted to march her back inside, up the stairs and insist that she dress more conservatively for the occasion, but only after having had his way with her, still wearing the dress, to claim her and make sure she knew she belonged only to him.

They travelled in virtual silence punctuated now and again with sterile comment about who they were expecting to see at the dinner and what might be on the menu. Now and again, when she wasn't looking, JR glanced at her cleavage, shimmering irresistibly with the expensive fragranced body oil she had applied to her bare skin. Desire stirred within him.

Impulsively he moved in for a kiss. "Not now, JR" she admonished him "you'll mess up my make-up." He sat back, dejected. Pleased to see how he had reacted to her rejection of him she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Later" she told him, tracing her finger along the length of his thigh. Her gesture immediately lifted his spirits. She did still want him, he told himself, as he reached for her hand.

"You know, I was tempted to ask you to change your clothes this evening" he informed her. "Don't I look good in this?" she asked, teasing him deliberately. "Too good, too sexy" he replied, giving her the validation that she needed. "Why didn't you then?" "Because I didn't want any trouble between us, not this evening. It's bad enough that we have to suffer Bobby's company for the next few hours."

"You won't make any trouble, will you?" she enquired anxiously. JR shook his head. "No, honey, unless he starts looking at you the way he was doing at lunch a few weeks ago…" "If he does then we will just make an excuse and leave. We can say that the nanny has been in touch and one of the children is unsettled."

The limo drew to a stop right outside the Cattleman's Club. "We're here. We'd better find mama and Lucy" JR told her as he held out his hand to assist her to leave the vehicle. Temporarily brightened by her husband's jealous attention to her, Sue Ellen stepped out into the flashlights of the various society journalists jostling for their picture.

TBC


	297. Chapter 298

As they entered the foyer they were greeted by Miss Ellie and Lucy who were standing by the cloakroom waiting to check in their coats. "Lucy, you look lovely!" Sue Ellen told the young girl. "You look like a model, Sue Ellen!" Lucy responded. "You'd better watch out uncle JR." JR harrumphed at the young girl's teasing, pretending that her comment hadn't bothered him but the truth was that it had.

They began to make their way into the main room but were immediately hampered by the number of people inviting them to stop to chat or just to wish them well. JR grasped Sue Ellen possessively around the waist and every now and then, when he felt that no-one would be looking, allowed his hand to stray to her derriere. Sue Ellen shot him a glance as he made contact before squeezing her gently. JR smiled back confidently reminding her wordlessly of their short conversation in the back of the limousine on their way there.

"Watch out there, Sue Ellen is one dangerous lady." Dusty Farlow spun round to find Cliff Barnes standing next to him. "I would say look but don't touch but even looking is a risky business" Cliff continued as Dusty stared at him. "Do I know you?" Dusty asked coolly. "Cliff Barnes. My sister Pam used to be married to JR's brother" Cliff introduced himself. Dusty nodded in acknowledgment. Now he remembered- the pretty, petite brunette who had been with Sue Ellen at the rodeo. She must be the young woman he was referring to. Dusty averted his gaze from Cliff back to where it had been before. "Don't say I didn't warn you" Cliff laughed, moving away before anyone in the Ewing party might spot him.

As they reached their table Bobby and Jenna came into view. "Good evening everyone" Bobby greeted them falteringly. "Hello, Bobby, Jenna" Miss Ellie replied whilst at the same time glancing at JR, warning him not to start anything. "You look lovely, Jenna" Sue Ellen remarked, conscious of the strained atmosphere between them all. "So do you" Jenna responded politely. JR beckoned over to a waitress. "I need another drink" he announced drily. "Would you ladies like some champagne?"

Drinks orders taken, they sat down. Jenna looked at Bobby expectantly. "Jenna and I have an announcement to make, don't we?" Bobby began. Gaining the attention of the rest of the family he continued. "I asked Jenna to marry me this evening and she has accepted!" Jenna excitedly held up her left hand, the ring finger of which was now occupied by a large, princess cut, solitaire diamond ring.

Miss Ellie gulped before quickly recovering her composure. "That's wonderful news!" she exclaimed albeit with a hint of uncertainty in her tone. "Congratulations to both of you!" Lucy squealed and leaned over to kiss her younger uncle followed by his new fiancee. "Can I be one of the bridesmaids, please Jenna?" she begged, caught up, forgetting the massive secret that even she, at her tender age, had been required to keep concerning her uncle Bobby and aunt Sue Ellen.

"We don't know yet what sort of wedding we're going to have" Jenna told them. "But if it's a big one then of course, Lucy." JR took a slug of the bourbon that had just been delivered before pouring the champagne for the ladies. He felt confused about what he had just been told. On the one hand he was relieved that his younger brother had apparently decided to put the past behind him by making a new life for himself with Jenna, a woman who had always been more than his match. On the other, though, he worried that, deep down, the proposal might not be genuine. What if it was just Bobby's way of inveigling himself back into the family so that he might get closer to Sue Ellen once more, he wondered anxiously.

He held his glass aloft, conscious of the need to maintain appearances, particularly in such a public place. "Congratulations Bobby, Jenna" he toasted them. "Here's to a very happy future together." Sue Ellen lifted her champagne flute in response to her husband. "Absolutely!" she responded, attempting to appear pleased for them, as any normal sister-in-law should. However, there was something about the way that she and Bobby looked at each other, ever so fleetingly and momentarily, that suddenly brought doubt back into Jenna's mind.

Reading the young woman's thoughts, Sue Ellen quickly excused herself on the pretext of needing the ladies' room. You need to pull yourself together, she told herself as she made her way through the rows of now full tables. As she reached the other end of the room and exited into the adjacent corridor she saw him.

"Good evening, Mrs Ewing. You look very beautiful, as ever" Dusty told her. She caught her breath as she took in his appearance. The ruggedly handsome cowboy that she had encountered at the Ewing rodeo was instantly recognisable even though he was now wearing a tuxedo, an expensively tailored one at that she noted. "Don't worry, I'm not a gate-crasher or one of the waiters for that matter. I'm here as a guest of my father" he explained, laughing lightly at her shocked appearance.

"Your father?" she asked incredulously. "Clayton Farlow. He owns Farlow Refineries, not that the business holds any interest for me. I'm only home for the holidays and then I will be back on the circuit again." "I see" she answered, now even more intrigued than she had been before. Who would have imagined that the rodeo rider she had flirted with came from such a well-heeled family?

"Perhaps we will see each other after dinner?" he asked, touching her hand gently. "I would ask you for a dance but somebody warned me that you're a dangerous lady" he told her. Sue Ellen raised her eyebrow. "Is that directly or vicariously?" she asked, staring into his pale blue eyes, drawing him in further. "You tell me? Anyway, I enjoy danger. It makes life more interesting." Sue Ellen shook her head. "You wouldn't want to incur the wrath of my husband, Mr Farlow. He's the one, not me that you have to be afraid of." As she turned away Dusty recalled his last encounter with JR Ewing but couldn't say he cared in the slightest.

Tbc

 **Sorry about the delay in updating. Been very busy at work : )**


	298. Chapter 299

"Are you alright, honey?" JR asked as Sue Ellen took her seat back at the table. "Yes, I'm just fine, thank you" she responded nonchalantly. Bobby glanced at her momentarily. Had she been affected by his and Jenna's announcement, he wondered, almost afraid to hope. Sue Ellen quickly averted her gaze. As she did so she saw Pam sitting with Mark and her brother on the far side of the room. She must have slipped in whilst she was at the ladies' room, she thought.

The two women made eye contact. Pam waved and smiled, gesturing excitedly to her friend that they would talk later. Sue Ellen nodded and smiled back before turning her attention to her mother-in-law. "It's traditional to have an engagement party" Miss Ellie told them. "How would you feel about our annual Christmas party doubling up for the two occasions?"

Jenna smiled enthusiastically. "That would be just lovely, Miss Ellie, wouldn't it Bobby? Thank you!" "That's settled then" Miss Ellie answered without waiting for a response from her son. "I'd offer to help but I'm snowed under with the arrangements for the house move, aren't I, JR?" Sue Ellen volunteered almost too quickly for comfort. JR squeezed her hand under the table in approval. He didn't want his wife anywhere near his future sister-in-law, not because he disapproved of Jenna, but because he feared Bobby's involvement. "Of course, Sue Ellen. You're far too busy with that and the children" Miss Ellie replied, letting her off the hook instantly.

For a fleeting moment the exchange that had just taken place bothered Jenna. The atmosphere had been all too similar to that which had prevailed the last time the family had been together with Sue Ellen and JR, aided and abetted by Miss Ellie, only too keen to distance themselves from her and Bobby. Caught up, however, in her excitement at the prospect of becoming Mrs Bobby Ewing she quickly dismissed her doubts in favour of accepting the explanation that Sue Ellen was bound to be very busy given the time of the year, the impending house move and three young children to raise.

As dinner progressed the family managed to navigate around more sensitive topics to settle on anodyne, uncontroversial conversation. Every now and then Sue Ellen looked over to the Farlow table. Each time she was met by the penetrating, blue-eyed gaze of the man who, for a second time, had managed to hold her attention. Dusty was unashamed by the way that he stared at her and then smiled confidently whenever their eyes met, determined that she should be in no doubt of his interest in her. It was not unlike her husband in the days when they were courting when he would deliberately throw her off kilter by just looking at her, saying nothing yet speaking volumes about his intentions, she reflected.

When dinner was over JR rose to his feet. "Time to say some hellos, darlin" he told Sue Ellen. "I'll join you in a few minutes. I want to have a word with Pam" she replied. JR harrumphed. "I suppose so, but you'd better be discreet. You don't want to upset anyone now do you?" he warned as he put his best foot forward and made for the table occupied by members of the Cartel.

"Sue Ellen?" Miss Ellie asked as her daughter-in-law got up. "I was just going to say a quick hello to Pam. I wanted to let her know about Bobby's engagement before someone else got there." Miss Ellie nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll come with you. It looks like Bobby and Jenna will be on the dance floor for a while yet."

The two women picked their way through the tables every now and then having to divert to get past guests who were standing in their way. Their route took them close to the Farlow table and Dusty saw his chance. "Mrs Ewing" he began, standing and then holding his outstretched hand to Miss Ellie. "I don't imagine for one moment that you would remember me. I was a contestant at the last Southfork rodeo, my name's Steven Farlow. I won it in fact." Miss Ellie nodded her head in acknowledgment as they shook hands. "Yes of course, I remember now. You broke up the fight at the end. This is my daughter-in-law, Sue Ellen." Sue Ellen smiled widely, enjoying the pretext. "Mr Farlow" she greeted him and offered him her hand. As their hands met a shock of electricity coursed through her. She made to take it away but Dusty held on for a few seconds longer, revelling in the way that he was obviously making her feel.

"May I introduce you to my father, Clayton Farlow?" Dusty asked, determined to prolong the encounter. Miss Ellie looked at the tall, handsome and imposing figure who turned and then rose instantaneously to his feet at the mention of his name. "Mrs Ewing, it's a pleasure to meet you. I was very sorry to hear about Jock. He and I did some business together in the past. We never met though. The transactions were very much at arm's length. However, I know he was a fine man, taken much too soon."

"Farlow Refineries? Yes of course!" Miss Ellie responded. "I had heard Jock speak of your company. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Farlow. Don't you also have a ranch?" Clayton nodded. "The Southern Cross, love of my life, apart from my son, that is" he joked. Miss Ellie nodded vigorously. "I know what you mean. Ewing Oil has been very good to our family but my heart will always be with Southfork, my daddy's ranch and then mine." "Can I buy you a drink?" Clayton asked. "That would be most kind but…" "I'll tell Pam you'll speak to her later" Sue Ellen interjected hastily, watching as her mother-in-law hesitantly followed Clayton to the bar.

"I need to go and speak to my former sister-in-law" Sue Ellen told Dusty. "Meet me outside?" he asked in reply. "Ten minutes?" "I'm married" she answered, suddenly conscious of how fast this was all moving. "I only want to talk." "Of course you do! Perhaps later, let's see." Dusty smiled confidently, taking her response as a yes. He touched her hand lightly as she made to leave. "See you later" he commented flirtatiously as she moved her hand out of his way and walked over to Pam's table, noting gratefully that her brother was absent.

"Sue Ellen!" Pam greeted her. "I have the most wonderful news! I'm getting married!"

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	299. Chapter 300

Pam held up her left hand excitedly for Sue Ellen to see. "Wow! That's a stunning engagement ring! Congratulations!" Sue Ellen exclaimed in response to the sight of the huge, oval-shaped sapphire surrounded by diamonds of the utmost clarity. Pam stood up to embrace her friend followed by Mark who was beaming from ear to ear. "We have you to thank, Sue Ellen. Had you not met up with Pam that day and introduced us this would never have happened."

Sue Ellen smiled widely, genuinely pleased at how things had turned out for the pair of them. "I did try to warn you off, Mark, but only with the best of intentions" she joked as she clasped Pam's hand in hers to take a better look at the ring which she quickly decided made the one that Bobby had given Jenna pale into comparison.

"So, have you set a date?" Pam shook her head. "Not yet. Mark only proposed to me earlier this evening, just before we arrived here in fact." "I'm so pleased for you both. What a wonderful development" Sue Ellen told them as she accepted a glass of champagne from Mark and toasted the couple.

"Sit with me for a few minutes?" Pam asked as Mark excused himself to join a group of men who were beckoning for him to come over. Sue Ellen looked around the room, catching the eye once more of Dusty before smiling and then averting his gaze. JR was nowhere in sight, no doubt talking business somewhere quieter, she concluded. What harm could it do to sit and chat with her friend for a short while, she asked herself before taking a seat.

After exchanging further pleasantries about how enjoyable the evening had been so far Sue Ellen leaned in to Pam conspiratorially. "You're not the only one with news tonight" she told her. "Bobby has proposed to Jenna and she has accepted." Pam shook her head and sighed. "How do you feel?" Sue Ellen asked, conscious of the fact that once in the day Pam had been very much in love with her now ex-husband.

"I just feel sorry for her, that's all. She's either mad or desperate or both. Bobby will treat her just the same as he did to me." Sue Ellen nodded sagely. Pam was right, she realised. Bobby's second engagement was just as fake as the first no matter how much the family might wish it would work out this time.

"The handsome cowboy's looking your way again" Pam whispered, keen to change the subject, determined that Bobby's news would not take the shine away from hers. Sue Ellen giggled, revelling in Dusty's attention. "Sue Ellen?" Pam asked worriedly. "There isn't something going on between the two of you, is there?" Sue Ellen shook her head and laughed. "Of course not, although I think if he had his way there would be."

"Don't let boredom cause you to make unwise decisions" Pam advised her. "What do you mean, Pam? I don't have time to be bored. There is always so much for me to do" Sue Ellen lied. "You know precisely what I mean. I care about you and I know you, Sue Ellen. Giving up that nice little job on the magazine can't have come as easily as you made out. It's all well and good being a wife and a mother but when do you get any time to be yourself?"

Sue Ellen sighed. Pam did know her, very well, she realised. "An affair isn't the answer though. Talk to JR, work through his insecurities with him and come to a suitable compromise. He does love you and he won't want you to be unhappy."

Sue Ellen sipped her champagne thoughtfully. Pam was right, she decided. Basking in the attention of some fly by night rodeo rider, no matter how handsome, wasn't the answer. She and JR needed to have a long overdue conversation but before that she needed proper advice about how to go about it. "I'll call my therapist and talk it over first thing on Monday, Pam. As ever, you're right. Thank you."

Before her friend could respond their attention was drawn to a scuffle on the other side of the room. "What's going on over there?" Pam asked. Sue Ellen stood up to take a better look. "Oh God! Not again."

The two women picked their way through the tables and the growing number of people who were assembling to observe the skirmish. "Excuse us please" Pam asked a group of people as they pushed their way forward just in time to see JR land a punch to Cliff's jaw.

Within seconds Mark had waded in to try to break things up between the two men. "Don't involve yourself, Graison. You don't know what he's done" Bobby warned him tersely. "It can't be anything compared to what you did" Mark countered angrily, not caring for one moment who heard him. Before he could continue Bobby launched himself at him and sent him careering to the floor.

"Stop!" Pam shouted as the two men struggled to their feet, fists flying, glass and tableware sent crashing to the floor. She looked at Sue Ellen helplessly as her protest went unheeded. Sue Ellen shook her head, resigned to the fact that there was nothing that either of them could do.

She turned, ready to walk away and leave them to it, afraid that Mark might go further than he had done already and reveal exactly why Bobby deserved the pasting he was getting. As she did so Dusty was standing right in front of her. "Let's get out of here?" he asked, holding his hand out to her. Impulsively she took it, allowing him to lead her quickly to the nearest exit.

Once outside he walked her up a deserted corridor. Once they were out of sight he pushed her against the wall and kissed her on the lips. She found herself kissing him back, enjoying it, until reason finally took over. "No, Dusty" she told him as she struggled to break free. "I'm married. This is so wrong." Dusty shook his head firmly. "You're not happy. I can see how miserable you are, Sue Ellen. I can change all of that, if only you would let me."

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	300. Chapter 301

Sue Ellen shook her head firmly. "Please let me past?" she asked Dusty. "I need to get back to my husband." Dusty moved aside, disappointed but determined not to show it. "You and I will meet again, Sue Ellen" he told her. "I can wait."

She glared at him but her anger was directed more towards herself. How could she do this to JR? she asked herself as she walked quickly back to the ballroom. Pam was right, an affair would fix nothing and just make matters worse. She loved her husband but simply needed him to understand her point of view. Then all would be well again, she told herself as she opened the door and surveyed the room.

The fight had been broken up by Clayton, Punk and some of the other men, keen to avoid the police having to be called out and the attendant bad publicity that would have been bound to follow. Then she saw him sitting at one of the tables nursing a swollen jaw. "Are you alright, JR?" she asked as she approached him. "Where have you been, darlin?" he asked suspiciously. "I couldn't watch another fight, I just couldn't" she lied. "I had to get out. You know how much I hate this sort of a scene."

"The cars are here" Miss Ellie announced, pushing Lucy gently towards the exit. "I think we've all had enough excitement for the night. Mr Farlow, it was a pleasure meeting you. I'm sorry for my sons' bad behaviour. I hope that the next time we meet it's in more peaceful circumstances."

Clayton nodded respectfully, noting the fact that Miss Ellie turned once more to meet his gaze before leaving the room with a degree of optimism. She sure was one hell of a lady, he thought to himself, and it had been nice to have the pleasure of her company for the evening.

"Sue Ellen, go and get in the car. There's something I have to do. It won't take long" JR commanded. "JR?" she asked worriedly. "Do as you're told honey" he replied forcefully leaving her in no doubt about the wisdom of trying to argue.

She hurried to catch up with the others, afraid of encountering Dusty on her way out, but he was nowhere to be seen as she retrieved her evening coat from the cloakroom. She kissed her mother-in-law and niece goodbye and watched as their limousine pulled out from the line that had been waiting before entering the vehicle that she recognised as the one that her husband had hired. "Mr Ewing won't be long" she advised the driver before slumping back in the seat, exhausted, guilty and anxious.

JR scoured the area carefully and then spotted him standing at the bar adjacent to the main ballroom. He sidled over. "I warned you, Farlow" he began. Dusty looked at him and then turned away, quite deliberately, and took a sip of his drink. "And I told you, Ewing, that you can't intimidate me. Please tell Sue Ellen that it sure was nice seeing her again?"

JR clenched his fists, itching to send his rival over the bar. "Stay away from my wife. I mean it. If you value your so-called career" he sneered. Dusty laughed quietly, unphased by the threat. "Goodnight Mr Ewing" he told him before pushing past JR and walking towards a crowd of people including his father.

Sue Ellen looked anxiously out of the window. Her stomach churned as she saw JR striding purposefully towards the vehicle. What if he had found out, she wondered, recognising her husband's talent for discovering even the deepest held secrets.

To her surprise, however, JR entered the limousine, sat down and immediately pulled her in for a kiss. "I'm sorry, darlin" he told her as the vehicle moved into the road. "For fighting that is. However, there was no way that I could just stand there and let that termite Barnes besmirch your good reputation…"

"Why? What did he say?" Sue Ellen asked, perplexed. "He suggested that there's something going on between you and that cowboy, Dusty Farlow. I couldn't just let that lie now, could I?" She shook her head, her stomach tightening with nerves. How could they have made it so obvious, she admonished herself before realising that if Pam had observed it why wouldn't others?

"There's nothing going on, JR, I promise" she pleaded. "I know there isn't honey, that's why I felt so compelled to defend you" he replied, nuzzling the nape of her neck, revelling in his manipulation of her, enjoying every moment.

Wracked with guilt and intent on putting things right in the only way she knew how to she slid her hand up his thigh, bringing it to rest perilously close to what was now his growing erection. He chuckled wickedly as their lips met once more. "You made a promise to me earlier" he told her between kisses. "I didn't" she responded breathlessly. "It sounded like a promise to me" he answered, playing her, intent on getting his way. "Perhaps it was then" she conceded.

"We're almost home" he whispered. "When we get in I'll deal with the nanny. You take yourself upstairs and get that dress off. Nothing else though, just the dress. Alright?" She nodded compliantly as the car turned into the driveway.

Behaving with utter obedience she quickly excused herself after they got in and hurried upstairs, pausing only for a few seconds to peep into the nursery, to satisfy herself that their children were settled and asleep.

Then she entered the bedroom and immediately slipped out of her dress allowing it to fall onto the floor close to the door for JR to see. She looked in the mirror and satisfied herself that her lingerie was apt for seduction before unpinning her hair and letting it fall around her shoulders.

Hearing his footsteps on the stairs she remained standing in the middle of the room. As he entered he smiled widely at her. He knew exactly what he wanted to do to her, something they had never done before although he had often fantasised about it. Tonight, her guilty conscience and need to make it up to him just might persuade her, he calculated as he walked towards her. "Come here, darlin" he told her, his erection throbbing with desire.

Tbc


	301. Chapter 302

JR stared at her lustfully. The way he did so made her suddenly feel self-conscious. There was something in his eyes, that unmistakeable look that told her he knew her secret. Her mind raced as he approached. Was he going to confront her? If so, what was she going to say?

She sighed with relief when he unclasped her bra and began touching her breasts instead. He growled with appreciation before leaning in for a kiss. Still nervous she did her best to respond but there was a menace in his air that prevented her from participating fully. Sensing her apprehension, he guided her gently yet firmly to the bed. "Relax darlin" he told her relishing the fact that she was uneasy.

She lay down on her back compliantly and closed her eyes, willing herself to get into it more. He leaned over and, much to her surprise, flipped her quickly over onto her front. "Have you been good or bad, sugar?" he asked, pulling her panties down and then delivering a swift sharp slap to her buttocks. She gasped but made no attempt to move.

"You see I think you've been bad, Sue Ellen. I reckon you've been tempted, by that cowboy." Before she could answer he slapped her again, this time slightly harder. She squealed causing him to chuckle wickedly. "Did that hurt?" he asked. She turned her head towards him to respond but he forced her face back down onto the bed.

He inspected his handiwork. The second blow had left a pink, bordering on red, mark to her right buttock. He imagined the stinging sensation she was now experiencing and anticipated protest from her, not that he was going to accede to her yet.

At first, she didn't respond and he worried that he had made her cry. He stroked the site of her discomfort tenderly but then more sensually, realising, much to his relief, that he hadn't in fact caused any tears.

"Do it again" she demanded, surprising but then delighting him. "I've been bad, JR, and I deserve to be punished." As he landed another slap she yelped and writhed slightly causing him to exercise a degree of restraint by placing one of his arms over her back. "Was that hard enough, honey?" he asked, his erection growing by the second. Before she could respond he slapped her several times more in quick succession, grunting lustfully as he did so.

She mewled as he began to stroke his hand over the marks he had made. "I think you need to be kissed better now" he told her, moving further down the bed. She moaned as he delivered feather-light kisses to her pert buttocks. He slid his finger between her legs and was pleased to note that she was wet. "Are you going to fuck me?" she asked. "Not yet" he answered, intent on introducing her to at least one other previously unknown practice.

He parted her buttocks and traced his tongue along the length of the crease. She sighed in pleasure. "Do you like that, sugar?" "Hmm hmm" she replied but then wriggled when she felt his tongue wander deeper. "Relax, darlin" he demanded, intent on taking matters further. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

She gasped as he inserted the tip inside her. "JR!" she squealed, mortified by her enjoyment. He flickered his tongue in and around and was gratified to hear her groan in pleasure. "That's right. Now you're being a good girl" he informed her as he broke off and started to use his finger on her instead.

Slowly and gently he gradually pushed his finger into her, noting with delight how tight she was at first. Then, with gentle yet persistent coaxing, she eventually yielded, permitting him to move his finger in and out of her repeatedly.

He paused to reach into his bedside cabinet. She turned her head to see what he was doing. "I don't know, JR" she told him as she watched him take out the tube of lubricant. "I won't hurt you, honey" he reassured her. "You'll enjoy it, I promise."

He stroked her and then used his tongue on her once more wetting her with his saliva. She wriggled in protest, unsure and apprehensive about what was to follow. "Trust me" he commanded, pouring a liberal amount of lube onto his first two fingers before setting to work on her. "God, JR!" she exclaimed as he played with her, first with one finger and then with two. "I told you you'd like it" he laughed as she moaned in response.

He paused to move further up the bed before kissing her passionately. "You're mine, Sue Ellen. You always will be. No other man is ever going to have you" he told her. She nodded submissively. "I love you and I'm sorry" she answered. "I really want to, you know…" he replied. She nodded again. "I trust you, JR. Do it to me."

After several more minutes of preparation he was certain that she was ready. He quickly removed his pants and applied the lube generously to his rock- hard cock. She groaned as he introduced the tip before easing the rest of himself slowly and gently inside her. Now it was his turn to moan as he experienced her warmth and tightness. "That feels so good, darlin" he growled as he began to thrust gingerly at first.

She began to relax as he found his rhythm and was surprised as it started to feel good to have him inside her, somewhere he had never been before. Nerve endings tingled as he filled her with his cock over and over again. Sensing that he was not far off he slipped his fingers between her legs and began caressing her clit, intent on making her come.

"JR, oh God!" she whispered breathlessly as he eventually took her over the edge. Then it was his turn to call her name as he thrust several times more and emptied his balls inside her. When he was done they fell into each other's arms, exhausted but satisfied. Now she truly was his, he told himself as they drifted off to sleep.

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	302. Chapter 303

Sue Ellen opened her eyes and sat up abruptly having glanced at the bedside clock beforehand. As she made to get up to put on her robe JR came through the door. "Good morning" he greeted her passing her a cup of coffee. "The children?" she asked. "They're fine downstairs. Mama and Lucy are here. I'm taking you out."

Before she could protest he kissed her firmly on the lips. "Now hurry up and get ready. We'll go into town first." As she stepped in the shower she recalled the events of the previous night and felt confused. She had behaved badly and been found out leading to an encounter with her husband such that she had never experienced before. Now it was almost as if she was being rewarded for her transgression, as if what she had let JR subject her to had acted as atonement.

As she applied her make-up he re-entered the room and started to fasten his tie. Afterwards he sat on the bed and watched her. She turned and met his gaze. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean it's such a busy time of year and then there's the house move…"

He shook his head determinedly. "It's Saturday, Christmas is fast approaching and now there's going to be an engagement party as well. Don't tell me, sugar, that you don't need some pretty new things to wear?" She smiled weakly, still unsure, but decided against any further argument. It wasn't like JR to take an interest in fashion shopping but today was hardly a normal day, she pondered as she slipped on her dress followed by her shoes.

An hour later they were sitting in the VIP dressing area of The Store sipping champagne as one after another assistant came through with gowns for Sue Ellen to try on. She had expected JR to take little if any interest in what she was selecting. On the rare occasions that he had ever accompanied her in the past he had preferred to read the newspaper until it came time to settle the bill. However, today, he was enthused and animated as she came out of the dressing room. "You look lovely" he complimented her as she emerged wearing a black knee-length cocktail dress that she had picked out purposely for its demure neckline and classic style. "This would be nice for the engagement party" she commented as she inspected her rear view in the mirror. "It sure would, darlin" he replied, pleased that she was not plumping for something more daring, and then admonishing himself for the sentiment.

Several new outfits with matching shoes and accessories followed in quick succession after which they left to go to a nearby toy store for a few more things for the children for Christmas. By the time that they were done it was half past one. "Let's go out of town for lunch. I know the perfect place" JR suggested. There was something about him that day that made Sue Ellen go along with his plans even more readily than usual. Something had happened to them in the last twenty- four hours that she sensed he needed to address, just the two of them, away from home.

Leaving the city well behind she stared out of the window. He glanced at her every now and then trying to gauge her mood, worried that secretly she might have resented what he had got her to do the night before. "Honey?" he asked, eventually breaking the silence. "Are you alright?" "Hmm hmm, just fine thank you, JR" she responded smiling at him. "We're almost there" he told her, patting her knee, relieved.

He turned the car into a long driveway lined with trees prompting her to pay rather more attention to their destination. After half a mile they reached a gatehouse, anonymous as to the identity of the place. JR got out of the car. "Wait there, darlin" he instructed. "I'll only be a couple of minutes."

He returned to the car and got in, this time holding a key which he placed in her lap. "Where are we going, JR?" she asked, intrigued. "Not many people know about this place but I think you'll like it." He started the car and continued along the driveway before branching off at a small wooden sign bearing the words "The Lodge". The scenery instantly became woodland. Sue Ellen gazed up at the no doubt ancient trees and wondered about the place. Had her husband been here before, she mused, all too aware of his history. If he had wanted to keep a liaison secret there could hardly be anywhere better than where he was taking her now.

He stopped the car at a large, detached log cabin facing a small lake. Taking her hand as she left the car he walked her round to the back where she gasped in surprise. The entire rear of the premises was constructed of glass offering uninterrupted views of the lake and the woodland surrounding it. On the deck a hot tub bubbled invitingly. She gasped in delight. "JR?" she asked as he led her back to the front of the lodge.

"Lunch is ready inside" he informed her "and if you like we could spend the night? I've sorted it with mama to take the children to Southfork." As they entered she was taken aback by the sophisticated yet warm interior décor. A large sofa adorned with cosy heather and leaf green coloured throws faced the roaring fire. At the other end of the property was a huge bed which she instantly knew would be warm and comfortable. "Do you like it?" JR asked pouring her a flute of champagne. "It's lovely" she replied "but what's this all in aid of?"

He passed her the drink and then poured his own. "I just wanted the two of us to have some time alone together before the busy holiday season, that's all sweetheart" he answered. "Have you been here before?" she asked, surveying her surroundings once more. JR shook his head much to her relief. "This place is new. I was offered it for the night as a sort of promotional thing. The owner's intention is to build several more of these places, each of them completely private, and then market them as high- class getaways."

He gestured to the tray of food that lay on the coffee table. "I tried to order the things you like, honey" he told her. "The seafood platter looks delicious" she responded. "But?" he asked. "But the hot tub looks extremely inviting. The only thing is I don't have a bathing suit." JR shook his head and laughed. "You don't need one. There's nobody around here for miles. The staff will only come if summoned and, for the time being, I think we have all we need."

"Shall we then?" she asked as she took off her coat and proceeded to undress. JR chuckled wickedly and began to follow suit. Taking bathrobes from the en-suite they covered themselves up before venturing out into the cold. JR watched as Sue Ellen let her robe fall to the floor just outside the tub. Gallantly, he helped her to climb in before handing her a replenished glass of champagne. Then he entered the water, smiling with relief as its warmth enveloped him.

He moved closer to her causing her to turn her head in his direction. She was met with a slow, languorous kiss that stirred up the usual feelings within her but then made her feel guilty. Why did she need the attention of another man when she had him? He had always been the man of her dreams and that hadn't changed one bit, she told herself.

As if reading her mind JR spoke. "I do have a motive for bringing you here, Sue Ellen" he began. "Something has changed between us and we need to figure it out because I love you and I believe that you still love me."

TBC

 **Happy Easter! Thanks ever so much for still reading and reviewing : )**


	303. Chapter 304

In an attempt to assuage his wife's expression of worry JR gently kissed her shoulder and pulled her closer to him so that her legs were lying across his. "You do understand why we need to talk, don't you, darlin?" he asked her.

She nodded sadly. Until then she had envisaged that their night away in such a beautiful location might solve things between them, permitting them to move seamlessly forward together, the past forgotten. Now, she was forced to acknowledge how naïve and unrealistic her hope had been. Whilst he was not someone who was the most emotionally aware, JR surprised her at times.

"What is it, Sue Ellen? What makes you so distant these days?" he began, intent on forcing the issue that was blighting their marriage. Sue Ellen shook her head. "I don't know, JR" she answered, although the truth was that she knew all too well. "Don't you love me anymore?" he asked. Deep down he knew that she did but he wanted to provoke an honest response, one that would promote a proper discussion.

He felt her hand wander under the water. "Let's go to bed and I will show you just how much I love you" she responded, using her usual tactic for avoidance where he was concerned. Giving JR sex normally resolved matters, whether that was appeasing jealousy, comforting distress or giving reward.

"Later" he told her, his sense of resolve weakened but not totally diminished. "Honey, I need to know. If you still love me then what is it that makes you unhappy? If I don't know, how can I be expected to fix it?"

She gazed into his eyes and noted that they were clouded with anxiety, an emotion that he rarely permitted to come to the fore. She paused before responding to search for the right words to express how she had been feeling and to avoid causing any unnecessary upset to him.

"Look, I love being your wife and I love our children." "But…?" "But I'm twenty- five and you have to admit that's rather young for a life dedicated purely to domesticity, even if I am much more privileged than the majority of married women in terms of the assistance I receive." He stared at her intently, not really understanding where the conversation was leading. He gave her everything she needed, and more, how could that result in her being unhappy?

"JR, I need more than just being a wife and a mother. I'm educated. I finished close to the top of my class when I graduated but I've never had the chance to show what I am capable of. For goodness sake I don't even know what it's like to earn a salary!" She was on a roll now, realising that she needed to be honest with him. He had started the conversation and he needed to know, she decided.

He shook his head. "Darlin, I have never underestimated your intelligence, have I? It was just natural that as soon as you graduated we would be married. You haven't needed to go to work. Do you know just how many women would jump at the opportunity to have a life like yours?"

She shook her head firmly. "You see, you just don't get it, do you? All of my female college friends have gone on to have careers following our graduation. My fear is that they have had the opportunity to experience fulfilment in a way that I haven't, to have a sense of pride in their own achievements, independent of the men in their lives."

"But they're not mothers, are they? You have the most important job ever, Sue Ellen, being ar mother to our children, just like my mama was to us" he told her. "Your mama ran Southfork as well when you were young. She has told me. Jock was just too preoccupied with the company at that time. He only took over on the ranch when you had grown up and begun helping him to run things at Ewing Oil."

"What is it then that you want, Sue Ellen?" he enquired, a hint of exasperation in his voice but intent nonetheless on trying to make her happy. "I wanted that column on the magazine" she answered "but you put paid to that by making me feel guilty for causing you to be all insecure and jealous of the attention that I was attracting." "Well you know why that is, don't you?" he countered "and you drove that point home all too forcefully yesterday evening with that cowboy!"

"If I wanted an affair I could pretty much go anywhere to find a man and there wouldn't be a whole lot that you could do about it" she argued. "But the truth is that I haven't. No matter how difficult our marriage has been at times I've never strayed because I'm yours, JR, in the truest sense of the expression. It's you that I want, from the first time I ever laid eyes on you, for the rest of our lives." She knew she wasn't telling him the whole truth. She had been tempted by Bobby, Cliff and then Dusty but the important fact to her was that, when it came to it, she hadn't acted on the attraction she had felt to any of those men.

He stared at her intently. Right at that moment his every instinct told him to take her, to make sure that she was, indeed, his. However, reason prevailing, he realised that sex would just be a temporary salve for the more profound issue between them. He had a wife who was dissatisfied with an aspect of her life that, but for his jealousy, was actually fairly easy to solve.

"What if I said I could try to get that job back for you?" he asked. "Would that make you happy?" She shook her head. "That ship has sailed" she responded, sadly. "They wouldn't have me back now. Plus, it would be too embarrassing if you tried to use your influence to have me re-instated. It's just more of the same if you think about it, me trading off your name and my position as your wife. No, JR, if you promise that you can rein in your jealousy and mistrust I have to find my own way."

He nodded solemnly. "If that's what it takes, Sue Ellen, I'm prepared to try, for our sake as a couple and that of our family." Relieved that he had finally appeared to see her point of view she put her arms around his neck and kissed him, easing herself onto his knee in the process. "Thank you" she answered. "This means a lot to me. Now I need to think of something to do, something that won't interfere too greatly with family life. I will show you that you can trust me in the process too."

He kissed her, softly but then more passionately, and was pleased to note how willingly she succumbed to him. He chuckled wickedly as they deepened their embrace. "What is it?" she asked, bemused. "Oh nothing, you just make me happy, that's all" he lied. Whatever challenges they faced as a couple in the future, Steven Farlow wouldn't be one of them, he thought. He had already been dealt with.

Tbc


	304. Chapter 305

Relieved that a compromise had been reached between them, JR and Sue Ellen retreated indoors. Wearing thick, fluffy robes they sat in front of the fire eating the lunch that had been ordered in for them. They both knew that they would go to bed later but, for now, they were just enjoying their time together in the comfortable surroundings of their woodland hideaway lodge. Their conversation turned to their imminent move into the house that had been built on Southfork land and their hopes for a happy future there.

JR had left the interior decoration and furnishings to his wife, trusting in her good taste and eye for detail, once the fabric of the building had been completed to his approval. The reality was that he had hardly visited the place in the final few weeks of construction, his neglect having been deliberate. By the end of the following week they would be moving in and he looked very much forward to the excitement of seeing what Sue Ellen had done with their new home.

Talk of Bobby's and Jenna's forthcoming engagement party was kept to a minimum. Neither of them was looking forward to the occasion. It was going to be an ordeal that they had to endure for appearances sake, nothing more and nothing less.

Instead, they concentrated on their ideas for their first Christmas in their new home. Whilst dinner on Christmas Day was bound to be spent at Southfork they both shared the same idea of a cosy, quiet holiday period for them and their children.

JR leaned in for a kiss, keen to take matters further and to make the most of their night together. As he felt Sue Ellen relax in his arms before letting him lie her down on the rug in front of the fire to continue he laughed wickedly to himself. Someone else wouldn't be having such an enjoyable time right at that moment he calculated deviously.

In town, at Dallas police station, Dusty was preparing to make his one and only statutory phone call. He knew all too well what was happening to him, arrogance and over-confidence in his status having led him into error. He should never have underestimated JR Ewing, he admonished himself. Now he was paying the price.

"Dad?" he asked as his father picked up the telephone. "I'm in trouble. I've been arrested." Clayton shook his head, exasperated with his son. "Have you been fighting again, Steven?" he asked annoyedly. Life on the rodeo circuit tended to lead to scrapes and skirmishes between men whose lives were dominated by competition and rivalry and Clayton expected such a scenario on this occasion.

"No, Dad. Listen, I've been arrested on suspicion of rape. I haven't done it though, you must believe me!" "Of course I believe you" his father responded, attempting to sound calm although nothing could have been further from the truth. "Don't answer any questions. I'll call my lawyer. Just wait for us to get there. Steven, remember, you must decline to be interviewed until your attorney arrives. Do you understand?" "Yes Dad."

Clayton put down the telephone and immediately re-dialled. Afterwards, he summoned his helicopter. "We need to get to Dallas straight away" he told the pilot. "It's an emergency."

Just over two hours later Clayton paced the waiting room of the Dallas Central Police Department anxiously. His son was being interviewed, one of the city's finest criminal defence attorneys present on his behalf. Little was known of the detail of the complaint but one thing was certain in Clayton's mind- JR Ewing was behind it.

He was a man of few words and he hadn't challenged Steven at the time but there had been no doubt about his interest in JR's lovely young wife. The glances they had exchanged and the subtle flirtation between them at the recent gala dinner told him all he needed to know. Clayton sighed as he approached a tired-looking vending machine and began to insert some coins. He loved his son immensely but he had to admit that he did have a penchant for attracting trouble. Of all the women present at the Cattlemen's Club that night, many of whom were single, it had to be Sue Ellen Ewing that had caught his son's eye, he reflected sadly.

After what seemed like an age a door opened and out came the attorney followed by Steven. The lawyer held up his hand to Clayton to prevent him from saying anything before guiding his weary-looking client to the front desk. A neat stack of paperwork was brought out by the custody officer. Then the attorney spoke. "Steven is being bailed pending further enquiries, Mr Farlow. In the meantime, a surety of one hundred thousand dollars is required. I take it that you're willing to pay?"

"Of course" Clayton replied gruffly as he stepped forward and signed on the line indicated to him. As soon as the officer indicated that all was complete the lawyer gestured to the main door. "Let's get out of here then" he told them. They entered the car park where a driver was waiting. "John, I need to know how much trouble Steven is in?" Clayton asked as they neared the vehicle. "It's not the strongest of cases but the police do have cause to investigate. It supposedly happened a couple of months back at a motel where Steven was staying whilst competing" the man told him. "You do know it's a set-up?" Dusty commented. "If it is, and I have no reason to doubt what you and your father have told me, we'll root it out. Don't worry. I'll be in touch very soon to plan what to do next."

Clayton and his son shook hands with the attorney, thankful for his calm, professional demeanour which was most reassuring in the circumstances, and said goodbye. Sitting back in their seats Clayton spoke to the driver. "Please take my son to the airfield first and then I want you to take me from there to Southfork Ranch. It's in Braddock County."

Dusty looked at his father. "Dad?" he asked worriedly. "There are things to say, son, and right now is as good a time as ever. Don't you worry. The Ewing family don't intimidate me."

Tbc


	305. Chapter 306

JR scooped Sue Ellen up in his arms playfully and carried her over to the bed determined to make the most of their night away. She giggled as he threw her down lightly before getting in beside her. They lay facing each other, gazing into each other's eyes. "Tonight I have you all to myself" he told her. "No interruptions, no getting up to check on the children, just you and me, darlin, and this lovely big bed."

Sue Ellen sighed dreamily. "Do you remember our honeymoon?" she asked. JR nodded and chuckled wickedly. "How could I forget? You made me wait so long. It was worth it though." "Honestly?" she asked, conscious of the number of women he had before her, women far more experienced and adept at satisfying him. "Oh yes, honey, you were, you are and you always will be the best, the only one for me."

"I was so green and so nervous" she commented. "Yes, but you were a quick and willing learner and I adored that about you. Sue Ellen, you are the most passionate and sensual woman I have ever encountered, that's why I'm so prone to jealousy and insecurity where you're concerned."

Before she could respond, hoping that she would accept his quasi- apology without question, he kissed her and was delighted when she kissed him back hungrily. There was no need to rush, he reminded himself. Dinner would be delivered in a couple of hours and then they had the rest of the evening and night to enjoy each other.

At Southfork Miss Ellie was presiding over the family's pre-dinner drinks, her three youngest grandchildren having been settled in the nursery a little earlier. Bobby and Jenna were in attendance together with Charlie and Lucy.

The main topic of conversation was the forthcoming Ewing Christmas party which, this year, was to serve as her youngest son's engagement celebration as well. As the two women discussed the proposed arrangements and guest list enthusiastically Bobby stared aimlessly around the room. "I hope you're paying attention, Bobby?" his mother scolded him. "Uh, yes of course, mama. It's just that you and Jenna are far more able to sort this kind of thing out than I am" he answered sullenly.

He watched his bride to be, noting her refined beauty and still youthful appearance. Back in the day he hadn't been able to get enough of her, or she him. Jenna had been wild and carefree, passionate and sexy and he had been besotted with her. That was until she had left him, running away for what she regarded as a more exciting and fulfilling life in Europe. At the time he felt he would never get over her, let alone feel that way about somebody else, but then Sue Ellen had come along.

His thoughts turned to the previous evening. What should have been a wonderful occasion, the announcement of a fresh start with the woman who had come back into his life when he least expected it, had been marred by the sight of his sister-in-law, the one he still wanted no matter how hard he tried not to. Watching her flirt with the cowboy who had pipped him to the post at the last Ewing rodeo had rattled him. If she was so dissatisfied with JR as a husband that she could look at another man why could that man not be him? Then, to add insult to injury, they had arrived for dinner to be told that JR had taken Sue Ellen away for the night, obviously laying claim to her as his wife, his property and nobody else's.

As Teresa announced dinner there was a knock on the front door. "I'll get it" Bobby offered, jolted from his thoughts by the unexpected visitor. "Mr Farlow, good evening. Please come in" Bobby stated, taken aback by the person standing in front of him. "Thank you. Is your brother here?" Clayton asked as he crossed the threshold. Bobby shook his head. "No, JR and his wife have gone away for the night. They don't actually live here any more though."

At the sound of Clayton's voice and overhearing mention of her eldest son's name Miss Ellie joined them in the hallway. "Good evening, Mr Farlow. How can I help you?" she asked. Clayton looked around him briefly before cursing himself silently for his poor timing. "Mrs Ewing, I apologise for intruding just as you were about to have dinner" he began. "I'm looking for JR."

"He's not here" Miss Ellie replied, sensing trouble. "Yes, Bobby told me. I will try to see him at the office first thing on Monday." Determined not to leave matters there, Miss Ellie stared at Clayton before she spoke, composing what she was about to say carefully. "You have come all the way here, interrupting our dinner as you have acknowledged, Mr Farlow. Now I would say that good manners dictate rather more in the way of an explanation."

The firmness of her tone alerted the others who moved to vantage positions in the living room, keen to see what was going on. Clayton nodded and bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that JR has set my son up. Steven has spent the day at Dallas Police Station, accused of something that he hasn't done."

"And you know for a fact that my son is the person responsible?" Miss Ellie asked annoyedly. How dare the man just walk into her home and start throwing allegations around as if they were nothing? Her initial instinct was, however, rapidly replaced by doubt. JR was completely capable of what was being complained about and, deep down, she knew what lay behind it.

"I have no proof, that's true. However, it's one mighty coincidence that my son's interest in JR's wife has led to this, don't you think, Mrs Ewing?" Clayton responded angrily whilst conscious of Miss Ellie's obvious, growing irritation with him. "Now, just hang on a minute?" Bobby asked. Miss Ellie held her hand up to prevent her son from continuing.

"That's right, you have no proof, Mr Farlow and no doubt JR would be the first to deny any unlawful behaviour. That said though, he has a wife whom he is most attached to, adores even, and they have three very young children and I am sure that he would be very quick to take action against anyone who posed a threat to his family. It's what his daddy taught him after all. I take it that your son was brought up to believe that it is unacceptable, not to say undignified, to set his sights on a married woman?"

Clayton nodded his head somewhat shamefacedly. "Of course, Mrs Ewing, but your son's reaction has been disproportionate in the extreme and I demand that he puts things right immediately." "Or what?" Miss Ellie asked. "A declaration of war on JR is a declaration of war on all of the Ewing family. My husband taught my sons well. We've never been defeated before and we won't be defeated now."

"I'm not afraid of your family" Clayton argued, put out but at the same time impressed by Miss Ellie's fierce resolve. "You should be" she countered solemnly. "However, I have a suggestion. If you were to guarantee that your son goes nowhere near Sue Ellen again…"

Clayton nodded gratefully. "I'll see what I can do then, Mr Farlow. Now, if you will excuse us, our dinner is getting cold."

Tbc


	306. Chapter 307

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but Mrs Ewing is here to see you." JR looked up from what he was doing and stared at his secretary. He was confused. When he had left home that morning, not two hours earlier, Sue Ellen's day had been settled. After taking Ella to kindergarten she was leaving their two sons in the care of the nanny whilst she went to the new house to supervise the delivery of more of the new furniture that she had ordered. Their home was almost ready to move into and Sue Ellen was determined that everything would go as smoothly and with the least stress possible.

Knowing him as she did, Barbara read his thoughts precisely. "It's not your wife, Mr Ewing. It's your mother" she informed him. "Right, give me thirty seconds and show her in" he replied. As his secretary left the office he stood, adjusted his tie and put his jacket back on, keen to show a tidy, professional appearance to his mama when she walked through the door.

As he watched Miss Ellie enter he gauged immediately from her expression that there was trouble in store for him. "Good morning mama" he greeted her, attempting to appear unperturbed. "Good morning, JR" his mother responded before taking a seat opposite him. Ellie Ewing wasn't going to stand on ceremonies and wait. This very office had once been her husband's, the man who had founded the company, the one who had set it on the road to prosperity. To her mind, Ewing Oil would always belong to Jock despite the fact that the growth of the company had been largely down to their eldest son in recent years. Then there was the fact that she and Gary still held their stake, albeit that their respective shares were dwarfed by JR's.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" JR asked. "Yesterday wasn't the right time for me to say what I need to say" his mother began. "You and Sue Ellen returned from your night away looking very relaxed and happy. Plus, the children were all present." The warning nature of her tone unsettled him. His mind raced to several matters that might have caused her visit, none of which would be easy to explain or to his credit, he calculated. Number one on the list was bound to involve what he had done to the cowboy who had come onto his wife he decided. Now he had to think of what to say.

"On Saturday evening Clayton Farlow came to Southfork. It wasn't a social visit as you might well imagine." JR stared at his mother intently faking innocence. "Don't look at me like that, JR. I'm not a fool. Mr Farlow's son has been arrested on suspicion of rape, a false allegation, and he reckons that you are the person behind it." "Mama…" "Don't interrupt me" Miss Ellie interjected sternly as if admonishing a child. "And please don't insult my intelligence. Now, I don't want any explanation and I certainly wouldn't appreciate any attempt at denial. I just want you to make the whole sorry episode go away before the Farlows declare war on our family. They are just as powerful as we are and we do not need them as our enemies. We have enough as it is already."

JR nodded but made no verbal reply. Although he trusted his mother implicitly he still couldn't stomach admitting what he had done. At the time it had felt so good to wreak revenge on the man who dared to try to interfere in his marriage, his family, so blatantly and unashamedly. Now, in the cold light of day, faced by his mother, he wasn't quite so sure.

"So, can I take it that you will attend to whatever needs to be done?" Miss Ellie asked. "I'm sure I can lend my assistance to Mr Farlow with his problem, mama" he answered in the oblique way that his daddy had taught him, a mode of speech that his mother recognised all too well. She stood and fastened her coat around her. "I do know how much Sue Ellen means to you, JR. I'm also very aware that you have had to contend with rivalry for her affections far too close to home and that has affected you badly. However, the reality is that if your wife is going to stray she will do. Your hands aren't entirely clean where marital fidelity is concerned either. I suggest that the pair of you start to have some meaningful dialogue about what it is that both of you want from your marriage rather than continuing to play stupid, manipulative games with each other."

JR nodded sheepishly. "We have talked, mama, a little, and I have made a certain concession that I hope will help Sue Ellen to feel happier in herself. It was good of you to have the children for the night so that we had the time and space to start to try to resolve our problems."

"I will always do whatever I can, JR. You are my son, no matter what, but be under no illusions- the problem that has been caused for Steven Farlow was completely disproportionate to whatever it was that he did. Defending your marriage is one thing…"

Deciding that she had said enough Miss Ellie turned on her heels and walked to the door. "I trust we will see you both at the weekend?" she asked as she placed her hand on the doorknob. JR nodded solemnly. "The engagement party? Yes of course mama. Sue Ellen and I will be there." "And no drama, alright? Bobby is entitled to a fresh start with Jenna. It's time to let bygones be bygones."

JR nodded once more but, inside, he was unconvinced. He didn't trust his younger brother one bit and probably never would. However, appearances had to be kept for the sake of the Ewing name and reputation, no matter how difficult that may prove.

Tbc

 **Sorry about the lack of updates recently. It's wedding season and there has been no time to write recently : )**


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